By MARK MOLINA
Staff Writer
With only two games left, the agenda is different for the San Benito Greyhounds and the Harlingen South Hawks
When the two teams meet tonight at Boggus Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff, San Benito (6-2, 5-0) will be looking to clinch the District 32-6A title outright.
Meanwhile, the young South Hawks (2-6, 1-4) are really only looking to make the Greyhounds wait a little longer for their crown.
That, however, isn’t going to stop South head coach Lanny Wilson and his South Hawks from taking a business-as-usual approach to the week.
“It’s an opportunity for us and we’ve been working hard; we hope we can play well against them (San Benito),” Wilson said. “Each week we’re going out to try to win and we’ve prepared the same whether we’re going to the playoffs or not going to the playoffs.”
The Hawks are coming off a 17-14 loss to Brownsville Hanna Golden Eagles and have been set back this season by mistakes, injuries and youth. They are also on the outside looking in at the playoff picture.
With the district’s top team coming to town, the younger players will have a tough test in front of them.
“We’ve had lots and lots of injuries to key players so some of the young guys got thrown into action this year and are doing just fine,” Wilson explained.
As for the Greyhounds, life is good after surviving a tough district stretch with wins over Los Fresnos, Harlingen and Brownsville Veterans.
Still, San Benito head coach Dan Gomez is taking nobody lightly.
“Every opponent has the ability to beat us and we have to respect everyone we play. The players have to give their all every week in practice and that’s what they do,” Gomez said. “We respect everyone and go out there to play our best. Anytime we win it’s a good one. It’s all the same and that’s the way we do things here; it’s the only way to do things.”
After disposing of Brownsville Lopez last week, the schedule stays light with South this week, but will not stay that way as they face the district’s best defense in Brownsville Rivera on the last night of the season.
A big part of the San benito success has been the same all year as their offense is led by quarterback Cristian Sierra and running back Gabriel Vasquez.
Both are No. 2 in the district in their respective categories, but have combined for a district-best 454 yards per game.
This week, however, their match up with South isn’t an easy out as the Hawks have the fourth-best defense and are allowing 308 yards per game.