BROWNSVILLE - New Pace Coach Daniel Pardo knows all about the Vikings' program.  After all, over the last 18 years, Pardo has coached exclusively in the city of Brownsville.  The only difference now is he's a head coach for the first time.

"I never really liked to leave Brownsville because I hate the driving part," said Pardo. "But I like it here. I'm a Brownsville person, I like this area, I've always worked this area. I relate to these kids quite a bit. I guess I grew up the same way as they did."

Pardo has made stops at St. Joseph, Pace, Porter, and Hanna.  Last year, Pardo was the Vikings' linebackers coach. The familiarity with the team has put Pardo in a good position to build a better and brighter future.

"Our defense is pretty much to where we want it to be. Where I kind of expect it to be. The offense is a little behind, but I finally got the offensive coordinator in later in the year. He got to work about 2 weeks with the kids so that helped quite a bit," said Pardo.

The last time Pace made the playoffs was six years ago. That was also the last time the Vikings won a playoff game.  Pardo was with the program that year and as he says, it's proof this team can have success.  After three straight 3-7 seasons, Pardo's objective is clear: turn things around in a hurry.

"Prepared for it? I don't think anybody is really prepared for it," said Pardo. "Other than you just have to go through it as you go. It's something that I was looking forward to. It was time. We're going to give it a shot and see how it goes."