The Pace Vikings will square off against the Edcouch-Elsa Yellowjackets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Having struggled with four defeats in a row, Pace turned things around against Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Southwest on Thursday. They enjoyed a cozy 42-28 victory over the Javelinas. That looming 42-28 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Vikings yet this season.
Pace got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Damian Majano out in front who rushed for 151 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Another receiver making a difference was David Melendez, who picked up 126 receiving yards and two TDs.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Edcouch-Elsa, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They put the hurt on Porter with a sharp 28-7 victory on Friday. The Yellowjackets haven't had any issues with the Cowboys recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive win against them.
Edcouch-Elsa's win came from a few key players Pace will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Ayden Mercado, who rushed for 175 yards and one score while picking up 8.8 yards per carry. Those 175 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Aydan Garcia was another key back, rushing for 65 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only eight carries.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Edcouch-Elsa was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 256 rushing yards. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 90.8 rushing yards per game earlier this season, but in their last five matchups they've averaged 185.7.
Edcouch-Elsa didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Marcus Garcia and Brandon Ibarra. Ibarra has been hot recently, having also posted five or more total tackles the last four times he's played. Edcouch-Elsa got some further help from Derek Cardenas: he picked up 3.5 sacks and made ten total tackles (4.0 for loss).
Edcouch-Elsa's victory bumped their record up to 3-4. As for Pace, their win bumped their record up to an identical 3-4.
Pace couldn't quite finish off Edcouch-Elsa when the teams last played back in October of 2024 and fell 28-26. Will the Vikings have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
