For the second week in a row, San Benito senior quarterback Cristian Sierra has been named the Valley Morning Star’s Athlete of the Week after a phenomenal performance in a win against Brownville Veterans on Saturday.
Sierra earned the accolade last week after he keyed the Greyhounds to a come-from-behind win over Harlingen in the Battle of the Arroyo.
Joining him in the spotlight this week is La Feria senior setter Connie Ceballos, who led the Lionettes in a win over Progreso, also on Saturday.
Sierra led the Greyhounds to a wild 67-57 win over the Chargers and, in the process, propelled the red-hot ‘Hounds into sole possession of first place in District 32-6A with three games remaining.
In the victory, Sierra threw for 332 yards on 16 of 32 passing for five touchdowns. His aerial strikes came on passes of 36, 30, 31, 33 and 60 yards.
He also rushed for another TD on a 12-yard run late in the first quarter.
The game was back and forth all night, with each team taking charge at various points.
The score was tight at halftime with San Benito ahead 43-38. Vets’ Derrik Rodriguez scored to open the third quarter for the Chargers (5-2, 3-1), but the Greyhounds scored 17 unanswered points in the third to set up the win.
San Benito head coach Dan Gomez gave credit to his entire offense in getting the job done.
“It was the offensive line giving (quarterback Christian Sierra) protection, it was the receivers running good routes, it was (Sierra) throwing a good ball,” he said. “It comes down to execution and everybody did it.”
The Greyhounds host winless Brownsville Lopez on Friday, take on Harlingen South on Oct. 31, then conclude the regular season with a home game against Brownsville Rivera on Nov. 7.
The last time the Greyhounds won a district football title was in 2009 when they shared the crown with Weslaco.
Meanwhile, La Feria’s Ceballos helped the Lionettes improve to 10-1 in District 32-4A by contributing five kills, two aces, 25 digs and 29 assists in a 22-25, 25-7, 25-19, 25-12 win over Progreso.
“Connie is a three-year letterman and is our setter,” said La Feria head coach Rebea Fraga of Ceballos. “Her role is key to our offensive output and her leadership stands out on and off the court.”
The victory kept the Lionettes atop the league standings with three games remaining, including a home match on Saturday against Zapata, which was tied for first along with La Feria heading into this past weekend.
Should the two teams win their respective matches on Tuesday (La Feria hosts Rio Hondo), Saturday’s match could be for the league championship.