(Photo by Karen Tijerina)
Running back Gabriel Vasquez of the San Benito Greyhounds currently leads the team in rushing.
By ARMANDO GARZA
Special to the NEWS
BROWNSVILLE – At around 10 p.m. on Saturday night, we’ll all know who is in the driver’s seat in District 32-6A.
A huge contest between the district’s only unbeaten teams headlines another Sams Stadium Saturday night special, as the San Benito Greyhounds go to Brownsville to face Veterans Memorial.
The ’Hounds (4-2 overall, 3-0 district) come off their remarkable, still-being-talked-about rally against Harlingen to take back the Battle of the Arroyo trophy, 25-21. The game was a roller coaster of sorts with touchdowns taken off the board, high drama and of course, the perfect comeback to take down the Cards.
Against Harlingen, San Benito racked up 494 yards offensively, most of those in the second half. Quarterback Cristian Sierra went for a team-best 127 yards on the ground while Gabriel Vasquez flashed his way to 123 more. Through the air, Sierra tallied 227 more yards, 107 of those going to Armando Medrano, who caught the eventual-game winning touchdown.
On the season, Vasquez leads the ’Hounds in rushing with 631 yards and eight touchdowns. Sierra is not far behind with 542 and four scores on the ground and passing-wise, Sierra has amassed 998 yards and five scores.
Leading wideouts for San Benito include Medrano (24 catches, 266 yards, 2 TDs), R.J. Atkinson (14-255, 2 TDs) and Victor Gaitan (12-185).
Defensively, end Chris Padilla was almost unblockable vs. Harlingen, and he got great help all around from a defense which allowed just one big play and forced multiple turnovers.
Coach Dan Gomez and the staff will certainly be asking the ’Hounds to come off the high a bit and stay level-headed as they travel to face the Chargers on their home turf. San Benito has experienced two high-intensity, emotional games at home and must now do the same on the road.
Veterans Memorial (5-1, 3-0) has league wins over Harlingen South, Brownsville Rivera and Brownsville Hanna, the latest a wild, 51-42 win over the Golden Eagles last Saturday.
The Chargers, led by coach David Cantu, have been solid on both sides of the ball, led by QB Marcus Castillo, RB Derrik Rodriguez and a plethora of weapons. Against Hanna, Castillo connected with Rey Garza on a 50-yard TD bomb. Also, Carlos Garza recorded a 33-yard TD, while Castillo added scoring runs of 3 and 5 yards. Beto Treviño booted a 22-yard field goal while Rodriguez dashed 75 yards to paydirt.
Game time on Saturday night is set for 7 p.m. at Sams Stadium in Brownsville.
