KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
SAN BENITO — For a second straight year, San Benito went toe-to-toe with perennial state power Corpus Christi Calallen.
The Wildcats shook off a slow start offensively in the first half and leaned on their rushing attack, led by quarterback Jarrett Garza, to prevail 28-20 on the road to open the season.
Much like Calallen, it took the Greyhounds some time to find their grove on offense. The Greyhounds’ defense held the ’Cats offense in check for most of the night and limited the big plays.
The turning point came on a Kyler Castelleja fumble at the Calallen 3-yard line when the game was tied at 14 with four minutes left in the third quarter. One play prior to that, Smiley Silva hit Juan Constante for a 40-yard strike to set up the ’Hounds’ at the goal line. Constante came down with the catch, but tiptoed out of bounds at the 3-yard line.
“That was a big stop for us, and it was a turning point for us,” Calallen coach Phil Danaher said. “They had a first down there at the 3-yard line and we were able to hold them. That was just determination as much as heart, and our kids did a great job.”
On the next drive, Garza broke away for a 60-yard, go-ahead touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter, giving Calallen a 21-14 lead it did not surrender.
“We had to change some personnel and it cost us a couple of delay of games, but we got it together at halftime,” Danaher said. “We are usually a second-half team anyways but San Benito did a great job. Their defense had a 10-man front, and we had to figure it out and made the adjustments.”
San Benito refused to go away. After a defensive stop, the offense got the ball back at its own 20 with 3:35 to play, trailing 21-14, but failed to convert on a fourth down, giving the ball back to the Wildcats.
One play later, Riggs Barrett scored a 26-yard touchdown to put Calallen ahead 28-14 with 2:27 left. On the next drive, Silva scored on a 21-yard touchdown to trim the lead to 28-20 with less than one minute to play. A missed onsides kick sealed the win for Calallen.
“The coaches did a great job and the kids did a great job on executing the game plan,” San Benito coach Dan Gomez said. “I just need to do a better job on making sure we are prepared. We put a game plan together, and the kids did a great job. I just need to do a better job on getting my team ready.”
The Greyhounds’ Zac Galvan sacked Garza on the final play of the first half, and San Benito went into the locker room tied at 7.
On the first drive of the second half, San Benito marched down the field and took its first lead, 14-7, on a 26-yard dime to Constante. Silva ran for two scores on the night and threw for one. Down 7-0, Silva showed off his moves with a 69-yard score that tied the game late in the first half.
“San Benito did a great job, they are a great team,” Danaher said. “When we played them last year I knew they were a tough team then, and it was about the same score this year as it was last year. They went three deep last year in the playoffs. They are a good team.”
San Benito will now hit the road for the next four games. Up next is a date with Victoria West at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 6. Last season, the ’Hounds won a shootout with Warriors, 43-41.