SAN BENITO — San Benito’s 35-7 bi-district win over PSJA North was a big one for a couple of reasons.
It was the programs’ first bi-district win since defeating Edinburg 24-21 back in 2011. It was also head coach Dan Gomez’s first postseason win with the ‘Hounds.
Now, they meet Laredo Alexander Friday night at Corpus Christi – Calallen high school for a chance to become Area champions for the first time since 2004.
“The staff and the kids set their goals high at the start of the season,” Gomez said. “This was on our goal list, but once the players taste that success here in San Benito, they want more and more.
“That makes them driven to achieve more than what they’ve done so far.”
On paper, this Friday night’s match up with Alexander is a favorable one.
The Bulldogs are 5-6 this year and are fresh off a 49-21 bi-district win over McAllen.
Despite the Bulldogs being under .500 for the year, Gomez knows his team can’t go into Friday anything but focused on the prize.
“Don’t let their record deceive you,” Gomez said. “Five of their six losses this year are to playoff teams and four of those teams are still playing.
“Alexander plays great defense and can throw the ball around on offense, so our kids are up for the challenge and have been working hard all week.”
Alexander will present the much-improved San Benito defense with a tough task.
The Bulldogs posted 494 yards of offense against McAllen and were led by a relentless air attack.
Quarterback Ezekiel Coss thre for 342 yards and four touchdowns on 18 of 24 passing.
A total of 193 yards were to receiver Beto Galvan, who had just four catches.
With one of their biggest challenges coming up, the Greyhounds aren’t feeling the pressure.
“We put pressure on the kids from the start of the season so they can handle pressure situations,” Gomez said. “They have to make adjustments on the field by themselves and we want them to be mentally ready for that. Our players put pressure on each other, but they enjoy it.”
San Benito’s offense had another solid night, gaining more than 500 yards of total offense.
Mainly that was due to the offensive line winning the battle in the trenches, which allowed quarterback JR Gaitan and running back Edward Alvarez to run for a combined 284 yards.
It’s a big hurdle for the Greyhounds, but no matter what happens Friday night, Gomez can say he restored San Benito to a winning football program.
However, he’s not settling for a single playoff win.
“I believe that as a coach, if you don’t set high expectations for yourself, your staff or your players, then why coach,” Gomez said. “We don’t coach to be average. We set goals high and go give it everything we have to get ‘em.”