ROY HESS | Staff Writer
SAN BENITO— If there was any question the San Benito Greyhounds hadn’t already clinched a playoff spot, they left no doubt about it with Friday’s 55-28 victory against Brownsville Rivera at Bobby Morrow Stadium.
In fact, the Greyhounds still have a shot at a share of the District 32-6A championship with one more week left in the regular season.
Friday’s victory improved the Greyhounds to 5-4 on the season and to 3-1 in 32-6A. They close the regular season next Friday at Los Fresnos.
Rivera slipped to 2-7 and 1-3 with one game remaining against district leader Harlingen High at Brownsville’s Sams Memorial Stadium, also next Friday.
The Greyhounds led 21-0 after one quarter, 41-0 at halftime and 55-7 after three periods.
It was a big night for San Benito quarterback Smiley Silva and receiver Juan Constante as they hooked up for three first-half touchdown passes of 23, 19 and 43 yards.
The Greyhounds took charge from the beginning during the opening quarter by scoring on their first two possessions to lead 14-0 on a 73-yard scoring scamper by Silva and a 23-yard TD pass to Constante from Silva. Later in the period, it became 21-0 as San Benito reserve running back Christian Vasquez scored on a 1-yard run up the middle.
It was more of the same with 20 more points for San Benito during the second quarter as Yahir Reyes kicked field goals of 36 and 28 yards. Also in the second period, Constante caught scoring passes of 19 and 43 yards from Silva to give the Greyhounds a 41-point halftime advantage.
Silva was replaced at QB by Elijah Hernandez during the third quarter. Hernandez threw a 10-yard TD pass to Jermaine Corbin on San Benito’s first possession of the third period to make it 48-0 with 8:41 showing in the quarter.
Rivera QB Chito Perez went around the left side and reached the end zone from 11 yards out for the Raiders’ first TD with 4:31 to go in the third period.
Another reserve running back for the Greyhounds, Mario Ayala, broke loose to score on a 25-yard run with 1:22 remaining in the third quarter as San Benito made it 55-7.
Rivera scored three times during the fourth period to account for the final result.
Perez threw TD passes of 13 yards to Elian Hernandez with 9:45 remaining and 54 yards to Kalani Gracia with 6:13 left to play.
Alberto Garcia’s 18-yard TD run for Rivera with 1:57 left was the final score of the game.