BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR
EDINBURG — Edinburg High junior running back Hearlin Benavides has exploded onto the scene this season and become the top running back in District 31-6A.
Even Benavides himself has been pleasantly surprised with his output.
“I didn’t see THIS coming,” Benavides said. “I have worked hard, the coaches have pushed me a lot, and my team has helped me a lot, too, and it happened.”
Benavides is atop 31-6A with 551 rushing yards. He will lead the Bobcats into their game in Week 6 against the Edinburg Vela SaberCats at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Edinburg.
“This one is a special game,” Edinburg High coach J.J. Leija said. “It’s a rivalry game. You are playing one of the top dogs in the Valley. We are going to just play our Bobcat football and play the way that we are taught to play.”
Benavides did a lot of learning last year, which has shown in the way he has played “Bobcat football” this fall. Last season, he was third on the depth chart at running back behind two prolific seniors in Nathan Marez (1,103 yards) and Saul Ramirez (737 yards). So Benavides watched and learned.
“I got to see how they played, and it taught me a lot,” Benavides said. “They helped me a lot, as well. During practices, they taught me a lot of things. I didn’t know, and I got to experience a lot of things in practice.”
Leija noticed Benavides’ willingness to learn right away. That trait has allowed Benavides to grow into the Bobcats’ featured back.
“He is a great learner, and he is very coachable,” Leija said. “Those are things that you look for in athletes — they need to be coachable. He learned by watching Nate, and they had a good relationship to where they would speak to each other, and he would watch how Nate handled himself. Hearlin has done a good job. And we are looking to him to be one of our team leaders next year as a senior, because he has those great leadership qualities.”
Benavides has shown what he picked up on the practice field last year on Friday nights this year.
“I’ve improved a lot on how to read the tackles, how to read blocks,” Benavides said. “I read the linebackers when it comes to hitting the holes and everything.”
Benavides is part of a skilled junior class for the Bobcats. Another impact player for that junior class is quarterback Matt Cruz, who helped lead the 27-point comeback against Edinburg Economedes in Week 5 with 144 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. Junior safety Mannie Salinas iced the 27-17 win over Econ with an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, junior wide receiver Antoine Woodard has 2 touchdowns in the last two games, and junior outside linebacker Raymond Quintanilla is a defensive leader.
Cruz and Benavides represent the present and the future of the Bobcats backfield, and that bond on the field extends to their relationship off of it.
“We are pretty close,” Cruz said. “We are good friends. We have lockers right next to each other. We have been talking outside of class and in practice.”
“We are always helping each other out,” Benavides added. “We help each other with classes and on the field. We always have each others’ backs on the field and off.”
Benavides grew up slightly differently than the rest of the Bobcats.
His family is from Nicaragua, so the language and accent he spoke with were dissimilar from those around him. Unlike many Edinburg High students, he is the first in his family to attend the school.
During the summer of his sixth-grade year, Benavides had the opportunity of a lifetime when he went back to his family’s homeland. While in Nicaragua, he visited relatives in Leon and Wiwili.
“I had never been before,” Benavides said. “I got to see where my family grew up over there. It’s a really beautiful place.”
Another beautiful part of the trip was getting to enjoy the food of Nicaragua. Some of his favorite dishes are gallo pinto and nacatamales.
“The food is really good,” Benavides said. “My mom cooks. She is the best cook. She often makes gallo pinto. It’s the best.”
Just as he chews up the savory flavors of his heritage, he often chews up defenders on Friday nights.
Benavides has never been one to shy away from contact. On the contrary, he often gets an extra burst of energy after the first hit of a game.
“I like hitting people,” Benavides said. “The first good hit of the game pumps me up. I’m ready for the next play after that.”
Because of his willingness to take on defenders and glean information from coaches and teammates, his teammates weren’t surprised with his strong start to the season, even if he was.
“I did know this was coming,” Cruz said. “I was hoping he would explode, and I’m glad he did it. He’s just now coming out of his shell. The best is yet to come.”