San Benito Greyhound Quarterback Jacob Puente is shown handing off to running back Arturo Coronado in first quarter action at Weslaco Friday night. (Photo by Vince Galvan)
By CRISTINA M. GARCIA
Special to the NEWS
Arturo Coronado, running back for the San Benito Greyhounds, was dragged down by two Weslaco East Wildcats in Friday night football action. (Photo by Vince Galvan)
WESLACO – Surprise, surprise.
The San Benito Greyhounds, underdogs according to some Valley pundits, put on quite a show against a team they were supposed to lose against, the Weslaco East Wildcats, and won 28-16.
The Wildcats, heavily favored to win District 32-4A, had defeated the ’Hounds last year by a near 40-point margin. The Greyhounds exacted a bit of revenge Friday night in Weslaco in an impressive offensive showing.
Specifically, Jacob Puente passed for over 126 yards and accumulated more than a quarter on the ground on his feet, but it was Arturo Coronado who accounted for San Benito’s first three scores of the night. In fact, Coronado rushed for over 100 yards.
Head Coach Spencer Gantt acknowledged the talent on his team and was pleased with the ’Hounds’ performance against the Wildcats. “We gave them (Weslaco East) the game early on last year, and they’re a really good football team,” Gantt said. “We’re excited about Tootie (Arturo) Coronado, our running back, and obviously we’re excited about all our skill kids – the receivers, and our quarterback Jacob (Puente) is doing a heck of a job.”
The coach added, “Our offensive line did well in the first half. There were some things that we have to fix that we saw in the second half.”
The Greyhounds dabbled in a little trickery by starting off the second half with an onside kick. San Benito recovered but was penalized on the play, giving the ball back to Weslaco East.
The stand-up moment of the night, however, came when running back Anthony Lopez hit paydirt on a 78-yard scamper for a TD in the third quarter, making it 28-10 San Benito.
It was a big win for the Greyhounds and gave the team a boost going into next week’s Battle of the Arroyo with the high-ranked Harlingen Cardinals, who has had San Benito’s number for the last three years.
San Benito will be going into the game 1-0 on the season. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. at Boggus Stadium in Harlingen on Friday, Sept. 9.
To see this story in print, pick up a copy of the Sept. 4 edition of the San Benito News. Or view our E-Edition by clicking here.
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