By KEVIN NARRO
Staff Writer
HARLINGEN — It took just two plays on the opening drive for San Benito to set the tone.
Senior quarterback Jacob Cavazos hit Brandon Valadez for a 58-yard touchdown, and then the defense forced two first-half turnovers en route to a 49-14 win over Harlingen South on Friday night.
The win sets up a blockbuster matchup with Brownsville Hanna next Friday at Bobby Morrow Stadium. Hanna will meet Harlingen High at 2 p.m. today at Sams Memorial Stadium.
“It is huge to start out 2-0 in district,” Greyhounds offensive coordinator Steve Marroquin said. “But by no means is it over, and we are not looking past our next opponent. It is going to be a big game, and I have a lot of respect for Brownsville Hanna, we know the type of program they have, and it is going to be a good game.”
After its first touchdown, San Benito struggled to find the end zone, but leaned on kicker Fernie Perez, who booted three straight field goals to push the ’Hounds’ lead to 16-0 early in the second quarter.
Sophomore running back Kyler Castilleja helped kick-start the offense for a 17-yard score, putting the ’Hounds ahead 22-0 late in the second quarter. Castilleja finished the night with two rushing touchdowns.
“We just stuck to our game plan, and we saw how (South was) lining up against us when we had to kick those field goals. We made some adjustments, there were some things we went over in practice during the week, and the kids went out and executed.” Marroquin said.
On the next drive, the ’Hounds’ Brandon Valadez who hit a wide-open Mitch Guajardo on a halfback pass for a 26-yard score, extending San Benito’s lead 29-0.
After a Nick Castaneda interception, San Benito capitalized. Cavazos hit AJ Garcia down the seam for a 21-yard strike. Last week, Garcia ran for three scores, and against South he hauled in a TD, giving him back-to-back games with a score.
“Each day our kids show up to work, and they have a great work ethic. It is what coach (Dan) Gomez and the staff have instilled in these kids. They have that mentality where it’s game by game, they don’t worry about what is behind them, and they look forward to the next one.”
Meanwhile, Harlingen South dropped its first district game and is now 1-1. The Hawks travel to Brownsville Rivera on Thursday.