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Pace and San Benito are itching to get back on the gridiron for different reasons.

The Vikings are looking to get back into the winner’s circle after suffering their first district loss, AND the Greyhounds want to extend their victory streak to five games as the district rivals clash Saturday night at Sams Stadium.

"We were very disappointed after last week’s loss to Los Fresnos," Pace coach Rene Medrano said. "We wanted to get back on the field as soon as we stepped off it last week. San Benito is a good football team, and we’re going to have to play very well."

Vikings quarterback Rodrigo Tostado leads the way for their offense with 11 touchdowns on the ground.

Lately, linebacker Mike Trejo has taken some of the load off of the senior quarterback. He ran for 185 yards and five touchdowns against Lopez, and then tacked on another score against Los Fresnos.

With each having one loss in district, coming up short Saturday would be devastating to their 32-5A title hopes.

"We’re excited about having a chance for a piece of the district championship," San Benito coach Spencer Gantt said. "We are going to have our hands full against Pace. They are a very solid football team all around."

Brandon Marquez has been the pulse of the Greyhounds’ offense as he has thrown for 16 touchdowns and is the only player in the district to have thrown and rushed for more than 1,000 yards.

Pace’s focus isn’t just on Marquez, though, it’s about the entire team.

"That No. 1 is a great player, but they have a lot more weapons we have to concern ourselves about than that," Medrano said.

San Benito’s offense has been there all season (35.6 points per game), but the resurgence of the defense has made a major impact. The unit has given up 19.8 points per game during its four-game winning streak, a much better number than the 35 ppg San Benito was giving up during its 1-3 start.

"The defense playing this well takes the pressure off the offense, and it’s been showing," Gantt said. "There have been a lot of ups and downs, but that’s what going to happen during any football season and so far it’s been pretty fun."

Louie Vera covers District 32-5A football for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via e-mail at lvera@brownsvilleherald.com.