Claire Cruz | Special to the Star
San Benito dominated its bi-district playoff matchup with Edinburg North on Friday night, earning a 70-7 victory behind a well-rounded performance from the entire team.
“Anytime we can pick up a win on a Friday night, it always feels good,” San Benito coach Dan Gomez. “I think everybody did well, everybody did their part and we played hard. We just have to keep plugging away.”
The Greyhounds recorded a sack on Edinburg North’s first offensive play of the game, foreshadowing the suffocating defensive performance they put forth. Despite considerable height advantages for their receivers, the Cougars didn’t find much success through the air aside from their opening drive.
Quarterback Michael Rodriguez hit his go-to guy, senior receiver Sergio Quintanilla, for the only Cougars points of the game to answer an early San Benito score.
From then on, the Greyhounds’ cornerbacks didn’t allow many catches and were quick to come off blocks and help stop the lackluster Cougars run game.
San Benito’s offense was almost unstoppable, aside from two lost fumbles. Senior quarterback Smiley Silva was patient in the pocket behind his solid offensive line and threw four touchdown passes to three different receivers during the first half.
Backup quarterback Elijah Hernandez entered the game late in the second quarter and didn’t miss a beat, driving the Greyhounds down the field with precision and hitting senior receiver Juan Constante for his second touchdown catch.
Jermaine Corbin also had two touchdown catches during the first half, helping San Benito take a 36-7 lead into halftime.
After a pass-heavy first half, the teams took to the run more often during the second half. Edinburg North’s Rodriguez and running back Jacob Peralez had some success on the ground and broke off big runs, but penalties and turnovers made it hard for the Cougars to find a rhythm.
San Benito scored four rushing touchdowns, two by Hernandez and one each by seniors Tony Torres and Jonathan Palencia. Senior defensive tackle Aaron Villafranca also rumbled into the end zone after recovering a strip fumble during the third quarter.
That fumble was one of four turnovers committed by Edinburg North, which lost two fumbles and was intercepted twice. Senior Michael Banda was a defensive standout who had a hand in the turnovers and recorded several tackles.
“Unfortunately, we just didn’t play good football tonight. We made too many mistakes, and you can’t do that against a good team,” Edinburg North coach Damian Gonzalez said. “But it’s something to build from. We have a lot of guys coming back next year, and we have to use this as a stepping stone.”