By KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
SAN BENITO — During the past couple of years, San Benito has seen some of the area’s better athletes come through its football program. At the quarterback position. Erick Retta carried the torch with his dual-threat style, followed by Jacob Cavazos last season.
Most recently Smiley Silva took the reins under center.
Silva picked up where his predecessors left off. In 2019, Silva was named the starter and ran for 1,458 yards and 14 touchdowns on 177 carries. Through the air, Silva tossed 13 touchdowns with 1,519 yards.
Silva helped the Greyhounds to a 7-5 overall record and second-place finish in District 32-6A with a 4-1 record. They also won a bi-district game and reached the area round.
Because of that, Silva was named the Valley Morning Star’s 2019 All-STAR football offensive player of the year.
“This was a blessing to receive this award,” Silva said. “This was the cherry on top for my senior year. I’m thankful and blessed to be able to play football for the Greyhounds. The first person I told was my mom. She has been a big part of my career. She always took me to practice and picked me up. She had a big part in this.”
Silva was most dangerous with his legs, and one of his most memorable plays came against Victoria West.
On a designed QB run, a play the Greyhounds go too quite often, Victoria West had it figured out. The ‘Hounds stuck with their guns and called the play once more.
Silva took the snap, ran toward the inside, made a cut to the outside and made two defenders miss. He was off to the races for a 50-yard touchdown.
The ‘Hounds won that game 31-3, and Silva ran for 156 yards and two scores on 22 carries.
Throughout the course of the season, Silva continued to slash teams with his legs. Nine times Silva ran for more than 100 yards, and he ran for more than 150 yards three separate times.
His biggest game came against Hanna. Silva cut lose for 221 yards and four rushing touchdowns on 16 carries in a 49-19 win.
“I felt I was having a good season after the Hanna game,” Silva said. “We had a tough non-district schedule, but it was the preparation that kept me ready to go. I would watch film, and just kept working on fundamentals and kept the guys motivated.”
Silva also improved in the passing game, throwing for 1,519 yards and 13 touchdowns with three interceptions.