BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR
The Edinburg High Bobcats have had an up-and-down start to the season.
They lost their first two games before picking up a win against La Joya Palmview in Week 3.
The Bobcats have been switching between two quarterbacks — junior Matt Cruz and senior Danny Shawnee.
While coach J.J. Leija has worked to fill that position, another position has sorted itself out.
Junior Hearlin Benavides has become a threat for the Bobcats at running back.
In three games, Benavides has rushed 69 times for 424 yards and four touchdowns.
“Hearlin is a great kid,” Leija said. “He is very coachable. He is very dedicated to the team. It’s all about the team and not ‘me.’ The guy is pushing himself to the limit. He wants to be the guy getting the ball, and he has been a workhorse.
“We are very happy that he has been pretty good these first three games. Now we enter a tough district schedule, and we will see if he can just keep going along.”
Last year, the Bobcats were led by senior running back Nathan Marez, who carried the ball 239 times for 1,103 yards and 11 touchdowns. Benavides might not be there just yet, but he is on the right track. And Leija does see some similarities between the two.
“He doesn’t shy away from contact, the same way Nathan didn’t,” Leija said. “He will run over you if he can. He’s got good leadership qualities, and hopefully he can take it there.”
Those loftier goals are for the end of the season. Right now, Benavides and Leija have only one focus. At 7:30 p.m. Friday the Bobcats square off with the Edinburg Economedes Jaguars at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Edinburg.
“We are just excited to start district,” Leija said. “We have been looking forward to this, and we tell them, ‘Every game you play is important. It’s not a sprint, it’s a long-distance race.’ These kids are excited to play.”