KEVIN NARRO | Valley Morning Star
SAN BENITO — The San Benito Greyhounds put a stamp on their District 32-6A run with a dominating 53-0 win over Harlingen in the 89th Battle of the Arroyo.
With the win, San Benito completed a 10-0 regular-season run and are locked up as the No. 1 seed out of 32-6A and will face Edinburg North in a Class 6A bi-district playoff game next week with the time and place still to be decided.
“The kids were a little juiced up early on,” said Hounds coach Dan Gomez. “I think once they got settled into the atmosphere and got some hits in, everything worked out.”
Senior running back Tyrone Harper got the Hounds’ offense on the board on their opening possession with a 7-yard score. San Benito led 7-0 after one quarter.
It was the second quarter that saw the Hounds open up their up-tempo offense and drop 29 second-quarter points.
Harper ran through and around the Cardinals’ defense with another dominating night on the ground with 153 yards and four touchdowns, which is a season high. Harper’s 153-yard performance was the fourth time this season he has eclipsed the 150-yard mark.
Harper put the Hounds ahead 15-0 followed by a 15-yard touchdown run from quarterback Erick Retta that extended the lead 21-0 late in the second quarter.
Retta accounted for three of the Hounds’ touchdowns and hit two different teammates for scores.
“This win feels amazing. I want to thank my offensive line for protecting me tonight and our defense played amazing,” Retta said. “Our goal was to win district and we did it. Now we can focus on the playoffs. Tonight we left everything on the field. I blocked out everything tonight and kept my focus.”
The Greyhounds’ defense flexed its muscles and pitched the shutout. The last time the Battle saw a shutout in favor of the Hounds was in 2006 with a 29-0 win and in 1999 with an 8-0 win.
“Anytime you go up against a tradition-rich program like Harlingen and come out successful, it shows how successful our program has come along in a short period of time, and it’s a testament to the kids’ hard work and the coaches’ commitments,” Gomez said.