Published Dec. 4, 1961
Hounds to Meet Nederland in Semi-Final Tilt Here
CLOSING IN – Three Del Rio Bobcats close in on San Benito’s Jim Helms (21), with ball, as he heads wide in the first quarter of the San Benito-Del Rio class AAA quarter final football game Saturday night in Del Rio. Helms and his teammates whacked Del Rio, 29-0, to advance into the semi finals against Nederland Saturday night in San Benito. (Staff photo)
Editor’s Note: In observance of the 50th anniversary of the 1961 San Benito Greyhounds, the San Benito News will feature in each weekend edition the story that covered the game of that week 50 years ago. This is the game featuring the San Benito Greyhounds vs. the Del Rio Wildcats.
San Benito News
DEL RIO – San Benito’s Greyhounds held a routed Del Rio passing game to a net of seven yards here Saturday night and went on to down the Wildcats, 29-8, in a state class AAA quarter final football playoff game.
ALTHOUGH trailing at one point by 8-7 early in the second quarter, the Hounds of Head Coach Jake Helms scored two touchdowns within 28 seconds shortly before halftime to erase any doubt.
The victory sends the Hounds to the semi finals, the highest step a San Benito team has reached, against Nederland at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Greyhound Stadium in San Benito.
The side of the game was decided Saturday night in Del Rio at a meeting of officials from the two schools.
The victory stretched San Benito’s season record to 12-0 and marked the 17th straight win for the Hounds. They have won 12 this season and won their last five a year ago.
Nederland’s Bulldogs reached the semi-finals with a 35-0 victory over Angleton Friday night. Nederland owns an 8-3-1 season record, having six of their last seven games with a 13-13 tie with Cleburne in a bi-district clash.
NEDERLAND IS the district 10-AAA champion.
Del Rio closed its season with a 10-2 record. The Wildcats were district 14-AAA champions and defeated 13-AAA winner San Antonio Lee, 30-18, in bi-district.
An overflow crowd of almost 7,000, about 1,000 from San Benito, watched the Greyhounds line consistently rip gaping holes in the Del Rio defense. Hound backs responded with 345 total yards on the ground.
Del Rio, meanwhile, could manage only 161.
The game was marked by four pass interceptions, two for each club. Jerry Crow and Marlin Mabry snagged San Benito’s pair, Mabry going for the Hounds’ third touchdown with his interception.
Del Rio quarterback Al Best picked off two of four San Benito pass attempts. The Hounds failed to complete a pass.
Both clubs had trouble moving the ball at the outset as an intercepted pass and a fumble killed short drives by both.
After San Benito punted after picking up one first down, Del Rio took over on its own 16-yard line. From there the Cats moved out to their 48.
ON A THIRD down try, however Crow picked off a pass by Best at his 45 and returned it to mid-field to put the hounds back in business.
Halfback Jim Helms and fullback Jim Lewis combined for a first down at the Del Rio 39. Then Don Uptegraph picked up nine to the 30 and Lewis bulled for a first down at the 29.
After Helms gained one, however, quarterback Eddie McKaughan dropped the ball at the Del Rio 17 and Tommy Chambers fell on it there for a Wildcat first and 10.
The Wildcats gave the ball back on the next play, however, as a fumbled pitchout rolled halfway across the field and back to the Del Rio 14 before Mabry pounced on it to set up the Hounds’ first touchdown with only 19 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
McKaughan came on to boot the extra point and give San Benito a 7-0 lead.
TAKING THE kickoff to their 44, the Wildcats moved to San Benito’s 23 in three plays, the big gainer being a 20-yard jaunt by fullback Gary Young.
On a first down play, San Benito’s Robert Cortez intercepted a Best pass on the 15, but the play was called back and the Hounds penalized 12 yards to the 12 for a personal foul.
Jimmy Sellers gained six to the six and Carl Chambers picked up another to the five. After a Best pass fell incomplete, however, an offsides penalty against the Greyhounds moved the ball to the two.
On the fourth down try, Best swept right end for the touchdown and used the same play to score two extra points. With 9:58 left in the second quarter, Del Rio had an 8-7 lead.
On first down from his 19 following the kickoff and a 15-yard personal foul penalty, Helms tossed a long running pass, but Best came up with the first of his two interceptions at the Del Rio 40-yard line and returned it to his 46.
After picking up one first down, however, the Cats were forced to punt and San Benito took over on its own six-yard line.
FIRST CORTEZ rammed for four yards before Helms broke loose for a 27-yard gainer out to the 37. Flanked to the right side, Helms went in motion to the left before the ball was snapped, took the delayed handoff and cracked left tackle. He carried two tacklers the last 10 yards of the gain.
Mabry gained four, Lewis gained three, and Helms six for a first down at the 50. Then Mabry skirted the right side for 15 yards and another first down at the Del Rio 35.
Yardage was coming in big chunks at that point for the Hounds as Helms gained 10 to the 25 for another first down on the next play and then he picked 13 to the 12 after an incomplete pass. A cutting block by Lewis sprung him on the play.
USING HIS favorite left end sweep, Helms rammed into the end zone with 3:36 left before half-time and then cracked over from three yards out to put San Benito into a 15-8 lead.
Then 28 seconds later, the Hounds rang the scoreboard cash register again.
On the first down at the Del Rio 25 after the kickoff, Best threw long on the left side, but Mabry was there to intercept.
The fleet halfback sprinted down the sideline, sidestepping two tacklers, and crossed the goal with 3:08 remaining before intermission.
There was no extra point to leave the score at 21-8, San Benito.
The Hounds marched back down to Del Rio’s 32-yard line with only 39 seconds left when Best got his other interception at the Del Rio 18.
A PLAY later the half ended.
The Greyhounds completely dominated the last half, although scoring only one touchdown. Del Rio managed only one of its seven first downs in the last two quarters.
The Wildcats didn’t complete a pass in the last half.
Neither team could move early in the third quarter, Del Rio kicking twice and San Benito once.
After the second Wildcat kick, however, San Benito started a 64-yard touchdown march that art up the rest of the third period and took 10 plays.
Lewis was the big gun for the Hounds on that grind-it-out drive as he ripped through huge holes opened by the San Benito line led by Crow, Jesus Yanes, Sonny Cortez, and Gary Cook.
Lewis gained 16 yards on the first two plays of the drive for a first down on the Wildcat 48.
After Helms gained five, Lewis got the call another pair of times for 14 yards and a new life at the Del Rio 31.
Cortez carried on two consecutive plays for seven yards and Helms picked up another 10 for a first down on the 14.
FROM THERE it was all Lewis. The senior fullback rumbled for seven to the seven and then got the last seven on virtually the same up-the-middle play on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Don Uptegraph went over on the left side for two extra points and with 11:58 left in the game, San Benito had its 29-8 spread.
The superb kicking of Del Rio’s Young kept the Hounds in their fourth quarter. One of his last-period boots traveled 63 yards, from the Del Rio 35 to San Benito’s two-yard line.
After Cortez gained 15 for a first down out on the 17, Cortez, Helms, and Lewis combined for a first down on the 37.
HELMS BROKE loose for 63 yards to cross the Del Rio goal on first down, but the play was called back due to offsetting personal foul pentalties.
Greyhound reserves came in at that point and gained one first down to kill the clock.
1 comment
Reliving history by reading these articles 50 years later has been very enjoyable for me. I am saving the clippings as history told as it occured is the most accurate record of how it actually developed. Thank you SB NEWS.