By ALBERT VILLEGAS
Special to the NEWS
It’s no surprise that the San Benito Greyhound Varsity Soccer Players had their prints on much of the All-District 32-6A team after what many considered a monumental season that ended deep in the playoffs.
The ‘Hounds, led by Head Coach William Huerta, had more than a dozen players named to the All-District team. That makes sense, given that SBHS advanced to the third round of the Class 6A playoffs in Region 4 and finished 15-7-1 overall. The ‘Hounds went 5-3 in district play.
The following are the players and their placements on the All-District team:
Offensive Player of the Year–junior Francisco Barrientos.
First team goalie–junior William Montoya; First team defender–senior Elias Olvera; First team midfielder–freshman Bently Zavala, senior Antwoan Alegria, and freshman Gabriel Alvizo; First team forward–senior Jiovanni Najera.
Second team defender–senior Christian De La Luz and junior Isaac Hernandez; Second team defender–junior Everardo Escobedo.
Honorable Mention went to junior Diego Martinez, junior Brian Mares, freshman Cristian Reyes, and junior Isaac Deleon.
The goalie Montoya defended in 22 matches. He made 71 saves, averaging about 2.3 per match, which bodes well for the defensive teammates in front of him.
“The season was an amazing, historic one for these young men; they dedicated themselves to the work in the offseason and throughout the season,” Coach Huerta said. “We told them it was not going to be easy, but to hold each other accountable for reaching their goals.”
Collectively, SBHS earned 78 goals.
Goal leaders were Najera (25, 11 assists), Barrientos (15, 12 assists), and Escobedo (11, 4 assists).
Others to get in multiple goals were Martinez (6), Alegria (4), Hernandez (3), Zavala (3), Olvera (3), and Reyes (2),
Alegria and Mares had 6 assists each, Escobedo and Zavala 4 assists each, and Alvizo 3 assists.
“These young men believed in each other and in the coaches to accomplish their goals,” Coach Huerta said. “We asked them to go out there and give it their all, and they did. We are proud of everything they did and accomplished.”
In the playoffs, the ‘Hounds made program history by winning a bi-district match against Weslaco, 3-1. They then defeated Buda Johnson, 1-0, in the area round, and in the third round lost to San Antonio Reagan, 5-1.
Still, it’s the third-place district finish that bothers Coach Huerta. SBHS lost once to Los Fresnos, Brownsville Veterans Memorial, and Harlingen. If there is a positive, it’s certainly that SBHS didn’t get swept in the series against each.
“We fell short of one of our goals, a district title, but our team accomplished a few other goals,” Coach Huerta said. “As for the all-district team, I felt we could have had a couple more accolades, but the kids are humble. We are looking ahead and already working for the next season.”
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