Published October 9, 1961
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 Mercedes Tigers.
San Benito News
OUT OF THE WAY – End Domingo Ramirez (87) of San Benito has to use force to move Mercedes Lawrence Cox (50) away from the ball, lower right corner, Friday night in San Benito-Mercedes District 16-AAA opener. The play followed a Mercedes punt to San Benito in the third quarter. The Greyhounds clubbed Mercedes, 48-0. (Staff Photo)
With almost half-try ease, San Benito buried a befuddled, out-classed Mercedes team Friday night, 48-0, before a capacity crowd of 5, 100 at Greyhound Stadium.
Able to score almost at will, San Benito rubbed salt in the Tigers’ wounds by covering three Mercedes fumbles and intercepting three passes to turn the game into a rout.
The victory was the first district win and upped San Benito’s season mark to 5-0. A Mercedes unbeaten record went by the boards as the Tigers now stand 0-1 in league play and 3-1-1 for the season.
Thus the stage was set Friday night for next week’s San Benito-Pharr-San Juan-Alamo battle in Pharr. The PSJA Bears walloped Weslaco, 50-18, for their first district win.
The Hounds scored in every quarter Friday night while holding Mercedes to only one serious threat late in the second quarter. For the night, San Benito picked 345 yards, rushing and passing to 78 for Mercedes.
The bulk of San Benito’s yardage came in the first half of the second and third teams played out most of the last two quarters on offense.
An intercepted pass by Jerry Crow, his second of the year after a blocked pass, set up the first San Benito touchdown midway through the first period. Crow grabbed the ball at the Mercedes 40 and lugged it down to the 36 for a San Benito first down there.
After a first down on the 25 and a penalty down to the 12, fullback Jim Lewis spurted up the middle almost untouched through a gaping hole in the Tiger line for the first score of the game with 6:13 to go in the first quarter.
There was no extra point and San Benito led by 6-0.
Then just four minutes later, after the red-dogging Crow had charged through to drop Mercedes quarterback Grady Herold for a tidy loss, the Hounds scored from 62 yards out.
Lewis picked up a pair of yards on first down. Then right halfback Jim Helms slanted to the left side, got a block at the line of scrimmage and simply outran everybody, including his own blockers, to eat up the 60 yards for a touchdown.
Gene Uptegraph ran the right side for two extra points and a 14-0 San Benito bulge with 2:06 left in the quarter.
A grinding 50-yard drive gave the Greyhounds their third touchdown halfway through the second quarter. The drive was set up by a 30-yard punt return by G. Uptegraph. Uptegraph almost broke loose down the right sideline behind beautiful blocking. It was a block by Sonny Cortez that sprung him at the start.
From the midfield stripe, San Benito used 14 plays to fin the range. Quarterback Don Uptegraph led the march down to the Mercedes 12-yard line, but Eddie McKaughan came in to throw incomplete before scampering around the right side and diving across the goal at the flag for the touchdown with 5:59 left before halftime.
G. Uptegraph booked the extra point for a 21-0 Hound lead.
A fumble on the kickoff set up San Benito’s next score.
J.V. Lynch knocked a Mercedes back loose from the ball at the Tiger 34 and Robert Cortez was there to fall o it for a San Benito first down.
The payoff came six plays later when McKaughan scored from 15 yards out. On the scoring play, the slick quarterback faked to every man in the San Benito back field, fooled all but one Mercedes defender and outran him to the goal with 3:15 remaining before intermission.
G. Uptegraph again kicked good for a 28-0 San Benito lead that stood until the half.
A Mercedes fumble with the second half kickoff gave the Hounds a quick touchdown to start the third quarter. Ray Saldaña fell on a Tiger fumble at the Mercedes 29 with only five seconds gone in the second half.
After Helms picked up five yards, the versatile halfback headed left as if to run, spotted end Tommy Goode open on the five-yard line and hit him with the running pass.
Goode worked his way across the goal from there and after G. Uptegraph again kicked good, San Benito had a 35-0 lead with only 48 seconds gone in the third period.
Neither club could find the range for the rest of the third quarter as the San Benito second and third teams played most of the way on offense.
Early in the fourth quarter Marlin Mabry, who intercepted two passes for the night, capped a 47-yard march as he went over from two yards out on fourth down.
There was no extra point and San Benito led by 41-0 with 9:19 left to play.
Again it was Mabry who accounted for the last Greyhound score when he intercepted his first pass of the night on his own 35. The fleet defensive specialist headed for the right sideline and dashed the 65 yards for the score with 6:28 remaining to play.
G. Uptegraph kicked the extra point to bring up the 48-0 final score.
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