MCALLEN – Few coaches in the land have such a close, visceral bond with their kids, and few can seem so wounded, mortally spent, after a loss.

And as Rene Medrano consoled his tough-hearted warrior, Ubaldo Encinia here Saturday, touching the 270-pound senior on his massive gold-dyed head as they both sighed heavily in the aftermath of a frustrating loss, this much was obvious: here was a leader whose charges have been with him every step of the way, and he with them, through good times and bad, united and undaunted, joyous and buoyant. And here were two Vikings who will never forget their time together.

Brownsville Pace went down the chute in area, playing a winning ball game through much of the first half before getting caught up in the jetstream that is the Laredo Alexander offense on overdrive. Missed opportunities, the inability to run the ball, and a substantial wind had also conspired to end the Pace season at 9-3 after a 35-6 decision.

Encinia, the ferocious defender who has been dealing with the loss of his beloved father this season, choked back the emotion, and most of the Vikings were as well, beyond remorseful. They had given their all, yet had fallen, but Medrano, ever the father figure for his group of brothers, had in his own honest and understated way found all the right things to say.

And sometimes, it’s right to say nothing. Coach and player embraced on the turf at Memorial Stadium, swaying ever so slightly, with palpable anguish, in the warm winter evening, wanting the score to be different and the game to continue still, knowing…

It could not be, for even the magical days of wine and roses come to a halt before too long, as the inexorable hand of fate touches some and bypasses others. Pace may have lost the game Saturday but through its excellent effort all season long it had won once more the hearts of the thousands of fans who drove west from Brownsville.

Encinia, the heart and soul of this gritty band of seniors that was loath to admit that its collective career as a unit had come to a close, trudged off the field for the final time, the individuals knowing that their coaches had done their best, their fans had cherished the chance at glory, and most importantly, knowing deep within that they had done the best they could do.

The moments will hang with them as they move along in life, the unspoken bond unbroken still, memories of the terrific times in 2011 growing stronger by the turn of the calendar, the great flashes of brilliance mingled with the crushing blows of defeat, until it will all seem like some fantastic dream sequence, to be forever recalled with a tug at the insides.

MIGHT HAVE BEEN

Saturday presented a number of unassailable object lessons: on how to defend the pass and get pressure on the quarterback, on the perils of failing to convert scoring chances in the Red Zone, and on what can happen when an explosive offense wakes up after a miserable half under an opponent’s thumb. And Pace was in the middle of all these teaching points, some to the good and some to the disastrous.

For 22 minutes the Vikings had put the kibosh to Alexander’s high-powered attack, with Encinia leading a bloody charge from the middle of the trench and the defensive backs and linebackers hounding receivers in the flats and refusing to be led into giving up the big play.

Leading 6-0 late in the half, Pace got a break when Danny Munoz launched a super punt that cornerback Jacob Rodriguez downed on the 1. He caught the punt off the left foot of Munoz and then stepped into the end zone, the initial signal being touchback. After further review, the officials overturned the call and placed the ball at the Alexander 1, with much jockeying against the adjudication from the Bulldog sideline.

This was the window Pace craved, with the wind blowing firmly in the faces of the Bulldogs, who had accumulated all of one single first down to that stage against a fired up Viking defense. Though the Brownsville crew had come away from three good drives with just a pair field goals, now was the time to take a turnover and get on top by 13.

But, no.

On second and seven from the 4, Xavier Skaggs, the bolt of lightning dressed as a human being, took a short slip from quarterback Brian Swain running left to right. After a missed tackle on the edge, he was off to the races, engines firing and Pace defenders dropping like flies as they tried vainly to stop the madness. Eighty-six yards later, the junior Skaggs, one of the top all-purpose backs in South Texas, ran out of gas. But he did so at the Pace 10 and when Swain raced to the corner, left, with 1:44 to go before the half, the Bulldogs led 7-6.

After all the fine defense Pace had played, after all the promising trips downfield, after all the hopes of a second-round upset of an undefeated powerhouse, it all seemed to go up in smoke right then and there.

Alexander would take to the wind in the third period, and by the time it was done, would score four times in four possessions, collecting 280 yards of offense in the final two periods and advancing to the third round for the second consecutive campaign. There, they will take on defending state champion Cibolo Steele, with a chance (albeit slight) to go further than any team in school history.

Pace, meanwhile, was buffeted by frustrated visions of what might have been. Had they gained more than 11 yards rushing in the second half, had they not turned the ball over to the waiting Bulldogs four times all told, had they managed to put more than six points on the board in the first half after working the field-position battle to a tee…all the ifs that a defeated team will have to account for, for days and weeks, a lifetime on end, now that the season has ended, once and for all.

“I think we had our chances, we definitely did,” said Medrano after his Vikings had failed to add on to last week’s outstanding bi-district victory over the Raiders of Pharr North. “We didn’t execute at times there, and if we had punched it in a few times, things would have been different. We knew were going to have to take advantage of the chances we got.”

STERLING START

The first chance came relatively early, on an afternoon where the wind whipped through cavernous Memorial Stadium with such authority that 15 minutes before kickoff, it sent a pair of pom-poms winging across the turf like tumbleweeds in an old, dusty Western town.

The Vikings started from their 21 and quickly hit a 20-yard ball from Dustin Hernandez to C.J. Arizmendi. The Bulldogs then jumped offside to advance the sticks on a third-and-3 play, followed by a perfectly thrown looper on the sideline to Arizmendi, good for 26 yards to the Alexander 21. Though some other Valley kids have gotten the lion’s share of the headlines this season, Hernandez has been a very dangerous dual threat behind center, especially last week when he was the star of the bi-district win with 164 yards rushing.

Here now, unfortunately, Pace faltered, with an illegal-block penalty followed by an interception. Against the stiff gust Hernandez had one sail on him into the waiting hands of John de Luna at 7:41.

With Encinia rushing Swain into one incomplete and knocking him to the green on another, Pace set the tone on its first defensive try. All half long, the Vikes got to Swain, who has tossed for more than 3,000 yards passing in 12 games. After the punt, though, de Luna struck again for Alexander, stealing one at the Pace 37.

One of the guys who played lights out in the half was linebacker Luis Mendez, and he now made a great pop on Skaggs for minus-1 on second down. Swain, the slim yet muscled star, ran twice to establish a first at the 18 but after two Mendez tackles and a pass rush from him and Encinia, it was time for a biggie. The Vikes chased the elusive Swain for what seemed like an hour, until the Alexander signal-caller tripped himself up for a 13-yard loss to turn the ball back over.

Twice the Vikes had been intercepted, but they had held the energetic Bulldog attack out of the end zone.

Late in the period, the Pace offense once again looked sound, churning down to the Alex 38 courtesy of an 18-yard completion from Hernandez (14 of 29, 166 yards) to Adrian Alejandro. Later, a 14-yarder to back Sam Trejo set Medrano’s guys up at the 13, with the wind at their backs now.

But Alejandro was dumped for no gain and two passes fell incomplete. Charlie Sanchez came on to boot a 30-yard field goal at 8:44, and the Green Machine was on the board.

It got better. Alexander went nowhere, with a strong rush from Juan Granja capping a solid defensive series; the ‘Dog punt hit the wall and went just 22 yards, giving the Valley squad a shot from the Alexander 36.

Again, however, the Vikes bogged down when it counted with Trejo (14 carries, 33 yards) getting tagged for minus-1 by star LB Luis Villanueva (19 tackles) and again two passes going awry. After a nice beginning Hernandez was in a 0-for-6 hole at this point, and with 6:02 to play, Sanchez came on to knock through a 43-yarder that just managed to creep over the crossbar.

One could suggest that the Vikes could have been up 17-0 at this point, but the fact is, they had played the favored visitor off its feet, and led 6-0.

When end Hector Gandara swooped in for two stops on the next Alexander series, the Vikings got the ball back at the Bulldog 42 after another wind-blown kick.

But again, they could not get much. The inside run was not there at all Saturday, and the outside was not appreciably more open. Eventually, Pace decided Hernandez on the keeper was going to be the ticket, and he produced 61 yards in the half. A third-and-8 pass went to the turf though, and the Vikes punted down to the Bulldog 1, as previously recounted.

From there, sheer natural ability took over with Skaggs (187 yards receiving) going for his romp all the way across and down the field. Despite the fact that they had been totally stymied through much of the half, the Bulldogs escaped to the lockers with a 7-6 advantage. Pace, with 157 total yards but two turnovers and 12 INCs on the books, could only wonder if the eruption from Alexander was a precursor, or an aberration.

OUCH IN A HURRY

It was the former, bad. The ‘Dogs, averaging 43 points per game in 2011, would come out and throw 28 up on the board after the intermission, two TDs in each quarter. Swain, who now has 18 rushing scores and more than 1,000 yards on the ground, had cruised to the corner from the 4 at half’s end, and he played pitch-catch-and-run with Skaggs good for 38 yards at 10:18 of the third to cap a fast 6-play, 67-yard jaunt.

Now down 14-6, Pace dug down deep and found another strong march, helped by an Alexander personal foul and some nice passing from Hernandez to the tight end and backs. At the enemy 35 Trejo bolted for seven and then four to move the chains. He carried three more times as the line, minus awesome tackle Hiram Morales (torn ACL against Los Fresnos), began to reach the massive Alexander tackles and Villanueva as well. They got to the 8 with a second and six when the reverse to Alejandro (25 yards from scrimmage, he and deep threat Munoz were quiet Saturday) was stopped for minus-2.

When Hernandez was spilled for a 10-yard loss on third down, Sanchez was set back for a 37-yard try that went wide left. Without the sack, the Vikes were looking at little more than an extra point, but at 1:52, no points. Again, failure to cha-ching in the Red Zone.

Wasting no time in continuing the second-half surge, Swain and the Bulldogs sped ahead with a 17-yard pass and a 23-yard run from the athletic Swain, who is one of the best with the ball one will see. Skaggs motored for 11 and soon it was Swain darting in from the 7 to give the 29-5A champs a 21-6 lead at 0:35 of the quarter.

As the fourth began, Alexander claimed its third pick, quickly converting it into six with a 42-yard catch-and-run by Skaggs, who simply outran everyone. He may still be steaming down Bicentennial, looking for the Stripes. This was that, that was it, and at 9:58, ball game, with the ‘Dogs adding another tally at 3:17 when shifty little 1,000-yard receiver Danny Ramos exploited the seam on a quick hitter for a 44-yard score to finish the point-making.

It all happened so fast, with Pace fighting its way downfield only to flag and have Alexander answer with a barrage of huge gainers. Now one can see how this Laredo school has managed a 12-0 mark in 2011. With the way Del Rio played Harlingen to the wire and United came back to beat San Benito, either we aren’t as good as we thought, or the Laredo league is eons ahead of where folks thought it was. Let us settle on the latter, for the sake of collective esteem.

A THOUSAND EMOTIONS

The aftermath was as it is every time the run ends for a team that has put in the hours of work it takes to get there. Pace kids mingled with their cheerleaders and other supporters, they got strong words of encouragement from their leader, and slowly they made their way to the lockers.

Always a strange atmosphere in these scenes, the kids maudlin and weary, yet still feeling the pride-buzz from having been in the rare air of the playoffs. Defender Granja, one of the legion of seniors on this squad (Alejandro and Morales are the only juniors coming back) lingered long to commiserate with family and friends.

“It was a great year, and we could’ve won today,” he said, and we believe it. “We made some minor mistakes and then they got going, you knew they were going to score at some point. I am proud of our defense though; no matter what the score was, we kept battling, balls out. All year we represented the city we come from and that’s really important to us. The seniors have been together for so long, some of us have known each other since we were little kids…we would have loved to win today.”

Medrano ushered his charges off the field, he and his coaches looking like they’d just fought the Mongol horde. Earlier, he’d summed up the evening, and the season, very well.

“We thought we would match up well with them and we did,” he said. “They just have a few athletes who can really make plays. We needed to score, we kept expecting to when we got close, it was like we needed at least one to give our team the spark.”

The coach knows that Pace was able to post the program’s first postseason win since 1983, Brownsville’s first since Porter eight years back, with a disciplined, hard-working group of veterans who knocked back nine wins in 2011.

“It’s tough, for these seniors,” he said, looking wistful, sad-eyed and yet somehow satisfied in a way. “What to say…they worked so hard to get here, they did so many good things this year. Maybe in a week or two we can start to enjoy all the good things. Right now, no way. I guess when the tears stop flowing, the kids will be able to get big smiles on their faces and appreciate the fact that they accomplished a lot this year. Because they did.”

MISSION – By the sound of it, it seems as though Brownsville Pace senior linebacker Miguel Macias doesn’t really know just how good his defense could be. But with a few more performances like the one displayed on Saturday night against Mission High, the Vikings defense could be one of the best around.

After coming off a dominating defensive effort against Harlingen South last week, the Vikings defense once again led the charge, forcing four Eagles turnovers that led to Pace’s 13-9 grind out victory at Tom Landry Stadium.

“I don’t know what to say,” Macias said about how his defense stacks up against others around the Valley. “We just come to play. We just come in and do what we’re supposed to do.”

Although Macias sounded modest in his response, the Vikings sure didn’t play that way. Macias recovered an Eagles fumble by quarterback Juan Rios less than four minutes into the game, which led to Pace quarterback Dustin Hernandez’s 1-yard plunge with 5:24 remaining in the first quarter.

Hernandez’s score, however, was the only touchdown the Vikings could manage because defense and missed opportunities summed up Saturday night’s game for both teams.

The Vikings held the Eagles to minus 2 yards rushing and just 200 yards for the night. But more importantly with Pace leading 13-7 late in the game, the Vikings ended two Eagles drives deep in their own territory in the second half, including a crucial stop from their own 22 with less than three minutes remaining.

The Vikings took a safety after it was unable to run out the clock, but on the ensuing kickoff Pace sealed the victory after recovering the Eagles’ third lost fumble.

“I tell you we knew the defense was tough,” Vikings coach Rene Medrano said. “I’m proud of our defense. I really am. They played four solid quarters and I couldn’t ask for any more out of the kids. They played their hearts out tonight and that’s big. That’s big going into district.”

The offense, on the other hand, had a rare off night.

Pace settled for two field goals by Victor Perez – a 27- and 26-yard field goal in the second quarter – that gave the Vikings a 13-7 lead. Perez’s second field goal was set up by a bad snap on a punt by Mission that put the Vikings at the Eagles’ 12.

Quarterback Dustin Hernandez passed for 162 yards on 9-of-21 passing, while Adrian Alejandro had 74 yards on five receptions, but the Vikings only rushed for 32 yards and missed out on several opportunities to put the game away after starting three drives in Mission territory.

Medrano, though, is confident the offense will be back.

“I told them I wasn’t really down on the offense because I know what we were up against,” Medrano said. “And I said it’s going to be the offense’s turn next time around. Right now, the defense won this game for us.”

The Vikings defense wasn’t the only one that came through on Saturday. The Eagles defense, which had only given up one touchdown during the first two games, lived up to their reputation, holding an explosive Pace offense to 194 yards.

But Mission’s first loss of the season will be remembered more for the things they didn’t do. On top of their three turnovers, the Eagles (2-1) keep seeking consistency on the offensive end.

Other than Derek Villegas’ 6-yard touchdown from Rios that tied things up at 7-7 with 3:00 remaining in the first quarter, the Eagles failed to convert on five drives that crossed into Pace territory, including on their final possession where two Eagles receivers dropped sure touchdowns.

“We gave our offense every opportunity to win this one,” Eagles coach Mario Pena said. “We’re not very productive right now on offense and that’s something we’re going to have to correct if we have any chance of being a good football team.”

Rios finished 20-of-42 for 221 yards passing with one touchdown and an interception. Receiver Sergio Guerrero caught eight passes for 73 yards.

The media and Valley fans are already fast at work, handicapping the season schedule, going bananas on now ubiquitous Internet message boards, and generally becoming experts at putting the proverbial cart way ahead of the ol’ horse. So they look at Brownsville Pace and they say, “Hey, these guys get two of their three toughest games at home, so that must mean something, right?!”

It may, and it may not. But Rene Medrano, who has been in this business long enough to know better, isn’t looking past Saturday night, when his Vikings travel to Mission for a tough non-district tussle with the 2-0 Eagles. So the season finale against Weslaco might as well be in 2092.

“That’s you guys, man,” he chuckled Wednesday afternoon, when the subject of favorable schedule came up. “All I know is that we have played two games and we have a tough test coming up Saturday. I’ve been down that road way too many times in 31 years to be looking ahead. I’ll say this: We have made some plays so far, and come out with two wins. But two games does not a season make.”

Vintage Medrano, sober and penetrating, and in 14 years as the Pace coach he has built a reputation as a somewhat cautious interview subject but a fellow who will not hesitate to say what he thinks, at the right time. And that type of balance has carried over into his program.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say that the guys we have this year are better talent-wise than in the past,” said the man who has taken the Vikes to the postseason four times running. “But they have definitely put in the work. I think they have worked harder than any team I have had so far overall. I like to think that this shows the character of the kids.”

And character building has been a necessity down in Brownsville for a long time. The city experienced exponential growth in the 1970s, leading to the construction of two new schools, Pace among them, alongside old Brownsville High (which became Hanna) mid-decade. Now there are five schools competing in 32-5A, with private school St. Joseph Academy in TCIL. Medrano will be the first one to suggest that this glut has played a role in city football history.

“Face it, we get no respect down here,” he intoned. “It’s real simple, no secret there, so I think kids down here carry a chip on their shoulder every year, they have to fight the other teams but also the dilution of talent, because there are so many teams in town. I think that you could say that at Pace, the kids use that as a motivational tool.”

THE QUEST CONTINUES

The Vikings are on the hunt for respect, and so far have earned quite a bit. They played a great scrimmage against mighty Harlingen in August, gaining a lion’s share of the preseason buzz. Since then, they’ve employed a quick-strike offense and an opportunistic defense to win against Edinburg North and Harlingen South, both from District 31-5A.

Senior passer Dustin Hernandez has come into his own behind center, with a nice pair of targets in speedy Danny Munoz and elusive little junior Adrian Alejandro, all of 5-foot-5.

Hernandez found Munoz in double overtime to win the North ball game, and connected again with him for 47- and 66-yard scores in the third period as the Vikings clobbered South 34-10 last week. Earlier, Alejandro had hauled in a 71-yarder from Hernandez as Medrano’s kids struck for 21 points in a 7-minute span in the second period against the Hawks, breaking open a scoreless game.

“We have hit some home runs this year so far,” Medrano said, noting that Hernandez has been excellent. “And Sam runs real well, so we have some weapons on that side of the ball.”

Sam Trejo is a hard runner who busted a grand in 2010 and has found ample room (190 yards in two wins) this campaign behind a rebuilt line that welcomed back only one starter, Hiram Morales, from last year’s solid crew.

“Hiram has two brothers who played here and went on to college,” said the coach about the veteran tackle. “And he’s stacking up right there with those two this season. Our line is doing good, but it’s a work in progress.”

On the other side of the ball, Pace has been an interception machine. Despite allowing an average of 360 yards, that unit has taken the ball away seven times through the air, with nifty safety Kyle Carter getting three by himself against South.

“Kyle really has a nose for the ball, and he loves to hit, too,” said Medrano of his All-Valley candidate in the back, adding that corners Hugo Martinez and Jacob Rodriguez have also done the job in 2011.

But it all starts with The Dominant One up front. Ubaldo Encinia is a three-year starter who burst upon the scene with a bang in 2009 as the Valley’s Newcomer of the Year. The rugged defender has only gotten better, though double-teams against him have become a regular occurrence. In taking on two linemen when he’s at nose tackle, Encinia opens things up for quick and mean ends Hector Galdara and Tony Garanja.

“We try to put him out on the edge sometimes, at end,” Medrano noted of Encinia, who has perhaps the fastest motor of any D-lineman down here. “That way he can have a free shoulder. But when he’s at tackle he is really effective for the reasons you mentioned.”

Pace has had some quality linebackers in recent years, and this season may have the best group yet. Foremost among them are former end Miguel Macias, who can get to the ball like a rocket, and Ben Hernandez, one of the toughest kids on the roster. They pursue and hit in the team’s 3-4 alignment, covering the pass almost as well as the DBs.

Still, Medrano likes to take them one game at a time, and teaches his charges to do the same. So that means preparing for Mission and letting the media wags and the football-crazy fans banter back and forth about schedules, playoffs, etc. At the heart of this tack is the perennial push for respect, which started in 1975.

Pace hit the ground running as a Class 4A school back in the day, making the playoffs four times in the early 1980s. The program stumbled into the Dark Ages after that, going just 8-62 from 1993 to 1999, including a 4-year stretch (1995-98) that saw just two wins in 40 games, and an average losing score of 38-6.

Medrano came onto the scene and worked his patient magic, and by 2000 the Vikes were 8-3 with the group’s first playoff appearance since 1984. He fashioned an 8-3 mark in 2004 and 7-3 in 2005, with the latter season’s rush to the playoffs ending with a late-season loss to Rivera.

“That’s why we never worry about games down the road,” he said. “I mean, say what you want about this town, but when it’s Brownsville versus Brownsville, throw out the records because you never know. There are going to be fireworks.”

Now working on a 5-spot as far as postseason appearances go, the Vikings want more. They have gone out in bi-district four seasons in a row, and Medrano, though he of course will not speculate too far ahead, thinks that if the team stays healthy, the possibility is there to accomplish some goals they’ve set for 2011.

An early anecdote from 2011 tells the story of the Medrano/Pace mantra well.

Against South, one of the secondary men picked off a pass and raced 98 yards for a touchdown. Seems that the hard-working kid got a bit excited during the amazing play, and was flagged for excessive exuberance. The Vikes lost the six, but not possession after the spot foul

Rather than complaining to the referee who enforced the new UIL rule covering such exploits, Medrano did what one would expect him to do.

“We used that as a learning tool, you know, the kid wasn’t doing it to taunt the other team, it was a marginal call, could have gone either way,” he said. “But we decided to focus on that and teach the kids that, hey, it’s all about staying humble. Be steady and sure, because it’s easy to get too high. You don’t want to be too high or too low, you just want to keep working, and sooner or later, the results will speak for themselves.”

Part 2

Part 3