NATHANIEL MATA | THE MONITOR
In less than 20 seconds, the No. 1 San Benito Greyhounds turned speed into points. Standout running back Tyrone Harper fielded the opening kick and wouldn’t be stopped until he reached the end zone for six, providing an early cushion over McAllen Memorial.
The Greyhounds were not very gracious guests Friday night. But being polite was never in the itinerary for San Benito, as it defeated No. 2 McAllen Memorial 31-7 in the Monitor’s Game of the Week.
The Valley’s top team spoiled Memorial’s (2-1) home opener and the pregame ceremonies honoring Mustangs coach Bill Littleton for his milestone 100th win.
When Harper returned the game’s opening kick 96 yards for a score, a hush went over the home crowd. It was a sign of things to come.
“The whole week I studied film. Just watched film a lot,” Harper said. “I was just running as fast as I can, trying to find what I could find and just executing plays.”
Harper rushed for 127 yards and a score, caught for another 21 and, of course, added the return TD.
The Greyhounds (3-0) won the turnover battle 3 to 1. It was an aspect of the game that they focused on in practice, especially considering the six turnovers Memorial forced in its win over Weslaco East last week.
“That was the exact key,” Harper said. “We watched a lot of strips (this week). The key was to hold onto the ball. No fumbles. No interceptions.”
San Benito’s offense needed time to impose its will.
Memorial defensive lineman Chris Lara, who had a sack in the loss, said that his unit came out playing well but needed to keep the intensity through four quarters.
“We came out hard. We needed to keep on pushing and pushing. Our main focus is just hit them in the mouth,” Lara said. “That’s all we have to do. We did do that, but after they got the momentum, they started running up on us.”
After the game’s opening score, the Mustangs responded.
Junior quarterback Sean Skaugen made something out of nothing with a 44-yard TD scamper in the first quarter. Following a stellar performance in his first start of the season last week, the rushing TD was a positive sign early for the Mustangs.
But Memorial’s offense didn’t click again the rest of the evening.
The next best opportunity for the Mustangs was a first-and-goal at the 7-yard line, set up by San Benito’s lone fumble and a penalty.
The Greyhounds defense made a loud statement by stuffing Memorial’s two runs. The Mustangs missed a field goal to cap the drive.
Skaugen showed glimpses of playmaking in the second half but fumbled the ball at the end of a 14-yard gain in the third quarter.
Another ball hit the turf and was recovered by San Benito in the third quarter, and that’s when the Greyhounds did most of their damage.
Erick Retta made the Mustangs pay with a 10-yard TD strike to Ryan Reza in the third quarter.
The fourth quarter was a textbook example of the Hounds running game wearing down Memorial’s front seven.
It felt like a page out of Littleton’s playbook, but San Benito proved to have the stronger running game and offense as a whole.
“We came in fast. We had to finish fast, too. That’s the only way to beat this team,” Retta said. “Our defense made amazing stops. Our offense kind of started slow, but during the game we started coming out faster and faster, and we came up with a good win.”
Despite the loss, the Mustangs feel this game can be turned into a positive as the season progresses. Memorial will host Los Fresnos on Thursday night in the team’s final non-district game.
“It’s a positive,” Lara said. “It’s a good thing, because you get better from it. From that pounding, you’re going to work your way through it. We’re going to get better and better, I know we are. We’re a good team.”