The Pace Vikings have been on the outside looking in of the playoff picture the last two years.

However, a lot has changed ahead of the coming season.

They've dropped a division to Class 5A - Division II with only six teams.

Excluding the 20202 Covid year, this is one of the smallest districts the school has ever competed in.

With a strong core coming back in 2024, the team feels properly equipped to make some noise in this new district.

"We got a young group of kids too, but the majority of our varsity is returning," Pace head coach Daniel Pardo said. "So, the chemistry hasn't really been an issue. It's just trying to get the younger ones to be backups and trying to get them up to par with the older ones."

"I mean, we have some newcomers, but the chemistry we have with the seniors coming back and the juniors is going to be to an advantage," Pace senior linebacker Juan Lujano said. "We have a lot of experience coming into this year."

Switching districts certainly increases the Vikings odds of making the postseason with just five other teams to compete with for the four spots.

The team will start the season against Hidalgo on August 30th.

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