(Photo by Ray Qurioga)
By PETE BANDA
Special to the NEWS
Despite a valiant effort, the historic run by the Greyhounds was halted last week at Bobby Morrow Stadium when the Weslaco Panthers pulled a miraculous upset in a double overtime thriller for the ages.
The battle of the unbeatens was one of the most anticipated matchups in recent memory and still managed to live up to the hype with the Panthers claiming a 27-21 victory on the final play of the game – a 25-yard touchdown pass to end the second overtime period.
With the loss, San Benito’s district championship drought extends to six seasons as Weslaco captured its first district crown since 2015. In addition to ending the ’Hounds’ undefeated season, Weslaco became the first non-Harlingen district opponent to beat San Benito since 2020 (13 games).
The Panthers made it clear from the start that they are the toughest opponent on San Benito’s schedule as they focused all efforts on shutting down superstar Greyhound weapon Fabian Garcia.
While the San Benito defense was on point as usual, forcing two punts and a turnover in the first quarter, Garcia was held to just 20 yards on eight carries over the first 15 minutes of game time.
After kicking a field goal to start the second quarter, Weslaco became only the second team all season to take a lead on the Greyhounds, though it wouldn’t last long. San Benito began peppering in some quick screen passes on its next drive and Garcia managed to break an impressive 33-yard run to get inside the Weslaco redzone. With just over five minutes remaining in the half, do-everything senior Atticus De Leon danced his way through traffic for a 12-yard touchdown run that put the ’Hounds back in front.
On the last possession before halftime, Weslaco used a variety of different plays to move the ball against the stingy San Benito defense as the Panthers found themselves on the eight-yard-line with just 30 seconds to go. Despite five plays in the redzone, Weslaco was forced to kick another field goal, allowing the Purple and Gold to take a slim 7-6 lead into the break.
The defensive battle continued in the second half as the third quarter saw a combined three punts and a failed fourth down conversion. With less than four minutes left in the game, a quick slant pass by Weslaco turned into the play of the night as the Panther receiver managed to juke his way for a 63-yard score. A two-point conversion later, Weslaco held a 14-7 lead and appeared primed to steal a victory in regulation.
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