True to form, Distict 32-6A co-champion San Benito had them all against PSJA North on Friday night.
Handily winning the battle in the trenches on both sides of the ball, the ‘Hounds rushed for over 350 yards and stifled the Raiders defensively, routing North 35-7 in their Class 6A Division II bi-district game at Bobby Morrow Stadium.
The sixth consecutive win for the ‘Hounds (9-2), sends them to the Area round for the first time since 2011 to face either McHi or Laredo Alexander next week. Those two teams square off Saturday. Meanwhile, PSJA North’s season, which began at 1-4, ends at 5-6 overall.
“Tonight was a collection of two years of work,” San Benito offensive coordinator Gilbert Leal said. “The kids have put in a lot of time and it’s nice to get a bit of a reward for their hard work. We’ll go back and look at who our next opponent is on Saturday and just take it one week at a time. It’s nice for us to go and see who we’ll play, put our game plan together and hit it hard.”
As the offensive line dominated, Leal’s high-octane offense was on point for most of the contest, racking up just over 500 yards. Quarterback J.R. Gaitan rushed for 182 yards and a score on 13 carries while running back Edward Alvarez chipped in 102 yards with two TDs on 14 totes.
All the while, San Benito’s defense was absolutely tenacious. Speared by another double-digit tackle outing from all-world linebacker Richard Moreno, the ‘Hounds puzzled North until a score late when the game was out of reach.
“The kids stepped up their game and they just advance their abilities in the defense,” San Benito defensive coordinator Mike Mull said. “Our coaching staff did a great job of seeing things we felt we could attack.
From last year we’ve taken that step and we’ll keep trying to take more steps,” Mull added. “(The win) is huge for the program because all the hard work the kids put in is for this (moment).”
San Benito went up 14-0 after a 26-yard TD pass from Gaitan to Mando Medrano, followed up by a 58-yard scoring sprint from Gaitan with 3:23 left in the first quarter. The ledger remained that way until the half as two interceptions prevented more damage and kept the Raiders within shouting distance.
But as they’ve shown many times this season, the ‘Hounds raced on the Bobby Morrow turf in the second half. Alvarez stiff-armed a defender and battled for a 20-yard touchdown run in the third before adding a four-yard scoot on the next possession as the lead swelled to 28-0 with 10:42 left in the game.
North, which returns 11 soon-to-be three year lettermen next season, averted the shutout with a nine-yard TD pass from Darren Fuentes to Reymund Rodriguez with 2:04 left.
“This team grew a lot and we purposely played a tough schedule early (and started 1-4). But we got better and better,” North coach Jorge Peña said. “We just got out-executed tonight and credit has to go to San Benito.”