By ROY HESS | Staff Writer
The San Benito Greyhounds have a pair of captains who have led the soccer team back to the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
They are senior midfielder Isidro Najera and junior forward Senovio Cerdan.
“These two guys are a big part of the team and a big reason why we’re at where we are right now,” Greyhounds coach William Huerta said. “Of course, it’s a team with other players, but these two guys have become the leaders and they’ve led the group well.
“Without these two, I think it would have been a little more difficult (to end our playoff dry spell),” added Huerta, who has been at San Benito for 12 years, including three seasons now as the head coach and seven before that as a soccer assistant. “These two guys have really stepped it up for us this year.”
The Greyhounds, fourth-place finishers in District 32-6A, open the Class 6A bi-district playoffs at home at 7 p.m. Thursday against District 31-6A champion Donna North.
Reaching the postseason has rejuvenated the team after what happened last year, the San Benito coach said.
“For this team to get back to the playoffs is a great accomplishment,” he said. “Last year (finishing one point out of fourth place with a loss in the final district game) left a bad taste in our players’ mouth. (As a result) they worked hard in the offseason. They wanted a strong preseason schedule, and they got it (to prepare them for district competition). They’ve improved throughout the season, and their unity as a team has really improved a lot.
“They’re excited (about the playoffs) and we’re excited as coaches,” Huerta added. “They’re going into the playoffs with great determination to keep pushing forward. They’re working as a team and guiding each other as a team by understanding their mistakes and correcting them. They help each other out at halftime (of games) by talking to each other and saying, ‘This is what we need to get done.’
“They understand the game as a unit, and I think that’s a big difference from the past. It’s a big step forward for these guys and the program. The younger guys see it, and I believe they’ll start bringing it forward, too.”
Added assistant coach Ricky Rodriguez, “The leadership of Isidro and Senovio inside and outside the field is why we decided on them (as captains). Isidro has been with the team four years, so he’s one of our athletes who is everything we look for in a captain. Senovio is a young athlete and he’s growing and getting that (valuable) experience, and at the same time he’s a good leader, especially for the ones coming in as freshmen and sophomores.”
During his four seasons on the varsity, Najera has started three of them. He’s seen the team get better in many ways. He wants to be a key part of that improvement process.
“It’s an honor to be a captain for this team,” he said. “When I was an eighth-grader, the team made the playoffs, and I looked up to them. When I got to the varsity, I wanted us to follow in that team’s footsteps.
“I think we’ve gotten back to the playoffs because we play with everything we’ve got, we work as a team and we want to win,” he added. “(As a captain) I try to encourage the guys and help them get better. I think we have a bright future for the coming years because there are only three seniors this season.”
Cerdan, a second-year member of the varsity, is glad to be one of the players helping the Greyhounds return to the postseason.
“It feels good because it’s been a long time since San Benito has been in the playoffs,” he said. “We’re just blessed to be in this position. We hope to go far.
“We have a lot of potential,” Cerdan added. “I think we can do well if we play up to our potential. We pass the ball well, and we have a very good counterattack. It’s been a really good season, and now I hope we can go far (in the postseason).”