It’s even rarer when that opponent is Weslaco East.
While the Wildcats normally outmuscle their foes, it was San Benito that was tough, physical and intense as the Greyhounds took it to the young Wildcats 47-23 on Friday night at Bobby Morrow Stadium.
From the onset, the ‘Hounds (2-0 overall) used their mammoth offensive line to push back East (1-1) while their swarming defense suffocated the Wildcats in front of a near-capacity home crowd.
“It was the culmination of great work from our kids and our coaching staff,” San Benito head coach Dan Gomez said of the win. “We had great preparation all week. Our play in the second half (was the turning point). We knew they (East) were a second-half ballclub, everybody knows that. So the challenge was gonna be not just at the start of the game, but the second half.”
Time and again, War Dog defenders popped Wildcats in bunches. Tackling machine Richard Moreno was a one-man wrecking crew, totaling 12 tackles and a forced fumble. Not to be outdone, Juan Gonzalez notched seven with a forced fumble to go with a fumble recovery. On the night, San Benito allowed East 287 total yards, 97 coming in the fourth quarter with the game well in reach.
“They do what they do and they do it well,” Gomez said of East’s ground-and-pound, bullying style of play. “So we had to match that level of play and do it even better to have an opportunity to win.”
San Benito did just that, especially in the trenches. The quintet of Joseph Partida, Paul Trevino, Julian Vanzinni, Ramiro Reza and Julio Pecina opened gaping holes for the Greyhound backfield all night. Because of the extra-wide lanes, Edward Alvarez (17 carries, 144 yards) and quarterback J.R. Gaitan (138 yards rushing, six total touchdowns — 4 rushing, 2 passing) were the primary beneficiaries. All told, San Benito cranked out 413 yards offensively.
The ‘Hounds struck first when Alvarez scored from five yards out on their second drive in the first quarter. East answered with a 33-yard Orlando Ramirez field goal and even took the lead 10-7 on a 54-yard scamper from workhorse Emilio Tamez (28-175, TD) early in the second.
But San Benito retook the edge on an 11-yard scoot by Gaitan and padded the lead later on a 33-yard screen pass to Alvarez. Alejandro Lugo’s PAT made it 21-10 ‘Hounds with 47 seconds left in the first half.
After intermission, momentum was donning purple and gold, no doubt.
East lost it on downs to begin the third, and spurred by an acrobatic, one-handed grab for 21 yards by Juan Salas down to the Wildcat 7, Gaitan ran in his second score to make it 28-10 ‘Hounds. The lead swelled to 34-10 on Gaitan’s nine-yard TD with 3:09 to go in the third.
After Gonzalez fell on an East fumble on the next possession, Gaitan found Rene Garcia on a 12-yard TD pass.
East never quit, and Swiss Army knife Ciro Rojas ran back the ensuing kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown to close it to 41-16.
But Gaitan saved his best for last with a 71-yard TD sprint to close out the scoring and the Wildcats, although Rojas caught a 19-yard TD late.