San Benito wins prestigious 7-on-7 tournament

By PETE BANDA
Special to the NEWS

When Charles Cortez was a high school athlete in San Benito, it was clear to him that the Valley was little more than an afterthought to most people in bigger Texas cities.

While he always wanted to change that, it wasn’t until he took over one of the biggest 7-on-7 leagues in the nation that he was in a position to do anything. Not only was he able to bring the tournament to the Valley, Cortez was able to witness a thrilling last second finish that saw his alma mater make dramatic comeback to win the championship.

Cortez, now the state director of Premier Events USA, graduated from San Benito High School in 1990 and still has fond memories of the football program and Coach Stone. While he currently lives in Dallas, a chance to return home was too good to pass up.

“It’s been on my mind since the second I took over the program,” said Cortez. “I was finally able to get in contact with a coach at Mercedes and they were able to set up a stadium for us so we set up the tournament as soon as possible.”

With close to a dozen schools agreeing to participate, the end product was one of the best tournaments Cortez has seen. In the final game, San Benito took on Weslaco for the championship. According to Cortez, the finish was one for the record books.

“I thought it was a surreal experience for me as a San Benito native,” said Cortez. “For me to try so hard to bring a tournament down to the Valley and then to have my hometown team win in the final seconds like that is something I will never forget.”

With San Benito down by seven and just under a minute to go, Greyhound starting quarterback Atticus De Leon took control of the ball with about 40 yards to go for a touchdown. In a precision execution of the two-minute drill, De Leon managed to drive his team down to the 15-yard-line.

With time ticking, De Leon delivered a strike to the corner of the end zone to bring San Benito to within one point as time expired. In true dramatic fashion, the Greyhounds went for the two-point conversion and the win.

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