By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Experience goes a long way, especially on defense.
At the heart of the San Benito defense are linebackers Richard Moreno, Emilio Garza and Skyler Garcia. Each is a junior and a two-year starter for the Greyhounds.
“They’re playing some real good football,” San Benito coach Dan Gomez said. “They work hard, they’re two-year starters and next year (I expect them to be) three-year starters.”
Moreno leads the team in tackles with 46 — including a pair of sacks and a forced fumble — and the others are not far behind.
San Benito has allowed 335 yards per game on defense and is among the top five in District 32-6A. The Greyhounds’ defense has been stellar for the most part this season, especially during the district opener against Hanna. The trio helped blank the Eagles during the first half, and with that effort gave the offense several opportunities they didn’t waste in the 52-28 victory.
“In the last outing against Hanna, they definitely started the game for everybody,” Gomez said. “They got the team going with the way they were playing. They just do a good job overall.”
Moreno said it means a lot to them to be considered the heart of the defense, but they can’t do it alone. The credit goes to their teammates who help them every snap of the ball, especially those up front.
“A lot of our success comes from our (defensive) line,” he said. “They help us get into positions to make plays.”
The success of the defense didn’t come overnight. The players talked about all of the offseason work that helped them get to where they are now.
“I know I put it my hours of work hard,” Garza said.
And Moreno added, “We’ve worked really hard since the offseason, just working hard to get better every day.”
It’s not just offseason work. The trio has become leaders for the unit. They are vocal when needed but try to show their leadership by their actions.
“They go out there to practices and games and they have one speed,” Gomez said. “And that’s full speed.”
When Gomez talked about their work ethic, it seemed to be a real blue-collar mentality.
“They do their job and they do it well,” he said.
But the trio doesn’t feel the Greyhounds’ defense has made a statement yet this season. The players feel they are still making too many mistakes and need to fix some minor issues.
An impressive outing against Los Fresnos, one of the top offensive units in the district, would certainly do just that.
And they are ready for that challenge.
“We have to give 100 percent effort,” Moreno said. “Never give up and fight to the end.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.