’Hounds on road against East Thursday

(Photo by T.J. Tijerina)
Senior running back Gabriel Vasquez of the San Benito Greyhounds is seen looking for running room against the Edinburg Bobcats on Friday, Aug. 29.

By ARMANDO GARZA
Special to the NEWS

WESLACO — After opening the season with a resounding 53-7 win over Edinburg, many people’s ears perked up concerning the San Benito Greyhounds.

The ’Hounds (1-0) used a special teams barrage of an onside kick, blocked punt, blocked field goal and kickoff return for a touchdown to put their paws on the necks of the Bobcats right at the start. A career night from Gabriel Vasquez (8 carries, 144 yards, 4 TDs) fueled the fire to their first season opening win since 2012.

However, enthusiasm is certainly tempered within the “War Dog” circle. Coach Dan Gomez knows that the Week 1 win was not the end-all, be-all for this squad looking to improve on a 3-7 record and get back to the playoffs. He was cautious afterward, noting that there was still plenty of work to do and mistakes to correct. The team is certainly getting the message that hard work and determination are necessities in the San Benito program.

Just how much progress they’ve made toward their ultimate goal can be measured a bit more on Thursday night when the ’Hounds face a stiff test at Weslaco East.

Against Edinburg, the Greyhounds were clicking for the most part, churning out 448 yards and using big plays to chase the Bobcats out of town. Quarterback Cristian Sierra was good in his first start, totaling 184 total yards (141 passing) and tossing a TD pass to R.J. Atkinson, whose big-play prowess was on full display with four grabs for 100 yards.

Defensively, the unit was relentless and attacking and allowed a puny 60 total yards. Juan Hernandez was a ball hawk with his two interceptions, earning him San Benito News Player of the Week honors.

But while the feeling was good around the Resaca City and beyond, the ’Hounds know Edinburg was a young squad in a rebuilding mode. The Wildcats aren’t.

East (1-0) started slow but turned on the jets in a 41-28 win at Brownsville Rivera.

Trailing 14-7 in the second quarter, the Wildcats’ former 31-5A foes of the ’Hounds, put up five quick touchdowns to pull away and clinch a win.

East was led by transfer RB Lupe Moron, formerly of La Villa. Moron dazzled with 250 yards and four touchdowns rushing. Coach Mike Burget’s squad tallied 329 total yards, every single one of them on the ground.

So San Benito knows it’ll get a steady dose of smash-mouth type football and a salty defense from East.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday night at Bobby Lackey Stadium.