Published October 30, 1961
STOPPED FOR NO GAIN–This was an all-too-familiar sight Friday night as San Benito fullback Jim Lewis (32), with ball, is stopped for no gain by a pair of Falfurrias Jerseys. Don Uptegraph (23) is at right. San Benito won by 13-6. (Staff photo)
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. Falfurrias.
San Benito News
GET OFF MY BACK–San Benito quarterback Eddie McKaughan (15), with ball, shakes loose from would-be-tackler Sandy Brice (10) of Falfurrias in Friday night’s district 16-AAA game. The Greyhounds of San Benito took a long step toward the district 16-AAA crown with a 13-6 win over the Jerseys. (Staff photo)
FALFURRIAS – San Benito took a long stride toward the district 16 – AAA throne room here Friday night, whipping Falfurrias at its own defense game and coming away with a 13-6 victory.
IN A GAME that saw all the scoring crammed into the second quarter, the Greyhounds of San Benito never trailed, but were pressed all the way by the green-clad Jerseys.
The Hounds, though, held a hefty edge in statistics and overcame such obstacles as a jazzed up Falfurrias version of the double wing and an eight-man defensive line.
The win left San Benito a full game ahead of its nearest rival, Rio Grande City, in the 16-AAA standings. The Greyhounds are now the only team in the league without a district loss. It was the eighth straight victory this season for San Benito and left the Hounds at 4-0 in district play.
THE LOSS WAS foul medicine for Falfurrias. Even though it was the first loss to a district team for the Jerseys, it virtually eliminated them from title contention with their 1-1-1 district record. So only two teams, San Benito and Rio Grande City, still have a solid chance at the loop crown after Friday’s games. Mercedes stunned Pharr-San Juan-Alamo, 14-0, and Rio Grande City clubbed Mission, 38-0.
San Benito, while scoring only 13 points, is the first team this season to put across more than one touchdown against the Jerseys. Those 13 were the first points allowed this season by Falfurrias in district play.
Falfurrias received the opening kickoff, but couldn’t move and punted up to the San Benito 33 for a first down there for the Greyhounds. On first down, though San Benito fumbled and the Jerseys’ Lorenzo Maldonado pounced on the loose ball for a Falfurrias first down at the Hounds 45.
AGAIN THOUGH, the Jerseys found sticky going against the tough San Benito 5-4 defense and were forced to kick. Booting from the 50-yard line, Falfurrias’ Ricardo Almendarez got off a wobbly seven-yarder for a San Benito first down on its 43.
From there, the Hounds marched down to the Cow 20-yard line before giving the football away.
Halfbacks Jim Helms and Gene Uptegraph and fullback Jim Lewis rambled for a pair of first downs to carry to the Falfurrias 29-yard line.
THERE THE GOING got too tough, though, and Fal was to take over.
On first down on the 28, Upty lost two back to the 30 on a slashing tackle by Ruben Villarreal, quarterback Eddie McKaughan gained eight on a rollout and an incomplete pass brought up a fourth down with four needed.
Lewis managed two to the 20, but there the Jerseys took over.
After picking up one first down out to the 30, however, the Cows had to kick and Almendarez dropped back another try.
San Benito’s Tommy Goode, though, crashed through from his defensive end spot and caught Almendarez trying to pick up a fumbled snap from center. Goode blocked the punt on the Falfurrias 18-yard line and although Falfurrias covered the loose ball, San Benito was staked to a first down on the Jersey 17.
THAT WAS the break the Hounds needed to break the ice.
Helms carried twice for nine yards down to the Falfurrias eight-yard line on the first two plays of the second quarter and then Lewis pumped for a first and goal-to-go at the Jersey two.
On first down, Lewis ducked into the endzone with 10:05 left in the second period for a 6-0 San Benito lead. Uptegraph came on to boot true on the extra point try and the Hounds were ahead for good at 7-0.
San Benito’s touchdown, though seemed to give the Cows the fire they needed to mount a scoring drive of their own. After Maldonado returned the kickoff back to his own 48, the Jerseys went the 52 yards for their only touchdown in nine plays and picked up three of their five first downs in the game.
With Enqrique Barrera and Maldonado doing most of the ball toting chores, the Jerseys moved on the ground for a first down on the San Benito 32.
Baldemar Salinas and Barrera picked up nine yards between them to bring up third one needing one.
Almendarez headed to his right on a rollout pass-or-run option, spotted Barrera in the clear at the San Benito 10-yard line and fired a perfect strike.
Barrera snagged the ball at the 10, just inside the right sideline, and slipped all the way to San Benito’s one-yard line before Helms and Upty bumped him out of bounds.
On the first down Barrera pounded over for the Falfurrias six-pointer with 5:34 remaining before halftime.
HAPPY WITH his passing success, Almendarez again rolled out to his right on the extra point try, but threw incomplete into the end zone to leave the score at 7-6, San Benito.
Full of surprises themselves, the Jerseys got a look at a surprise, Greyhound style, on the kickoff. And that surprise almost broke the game open.
Helms had to go back to his five-yard line to take the Cow kickoff. He headed up the middle with the ball, but handed off to Lewis who was standing still with his back to the oncoming Jerseys.
AFTER A MOMENT’S hesitation, Lewis spun around like a single-wing fullback and sprinted for the left sideline. Blockers sprung him up to the mid-field stripe and he made it on his own down the sideline to the Falfurrias 21 before being run out of bounds.
Upty first gained five to the 17 before McKaughan lost three back to the 20 to bring up third down. McKaughan dropped back to pass, tried to hit his short receiver on the right side, but the ball found instead the arms of Maldonado at the 15-yard line.
He carried his interception back to the Cow 21-yard line to kill the Greyhound threat.
Fal couldn’t move, though and Almendarez got off his best punt of the night, a 43-yarder, down to the San Benito 30. An illegal receiver penalty on first down moved the Hounds back to their 15 facing first and needing 25.
WITH LONG YARDAGE in mind, though, Helms uncorked the longest run of the night on the next play – the run that put the game in San Benito’s pocket.
On a delayed handoff to the flanking Helms, McKaughan gave the speedster the ball after faking to the other two running backs. With all but three or four Jerseys fooled by McKaughan’s faking, Helms sprinted for the right sideline, cut up field and went all the way for an 85-yard touchdown jaunt.
He was challenged at the Falfurrias 30 when the last defender tried to shove Helms out of bounds. He barely broke stride, though, and crossed the goal without a Jersey near him.
That wrapped up scoring for the night with 1:24 left before halftime as Upty kicked wide on the extra point try.
San Benito went in at halftime with its 13-6 lead that was to stand through the last two quarters.
San Benito dominated statistics in the last half, picking up nine of its 12 first downs then. Falfurrias had held a 4-3 edge in first downs in the first half, but the Cows picked up only one in the last half.
San Benito took the second half kickoff down to the Falfurrias 30-yard line before losing the ball on downs there for the most serious threat in the third period.
The Jerseys’ Villarreal picked up a fumbled at San Benito’s 32 on the first play of the fourth quarter, but three plays later, San Benito’s Marlin Mabry returned the favor by intercepting an Almendarez pass on his 16 after the ball was tipped into the air by a receiver.
It was in this series of downs that Falfurrias first came up with its double wing formation with Almendarez deep and set to pass.
With only 2:38 left in the game, San Benito took over at its 38 after a Cow punt. The Hounds ate up the clock from there as they reached the Falfurrias four-yard line as time ran out.
With a first down on the Cow 20-yard line with only 24 seconds left to play, Helms gained four to the 16 and then the eight seconds remaining he got another 12 to the Falfurrias four as the gun sounded.
Helms Greyhound Offensive Leader
Halfback Jim Helms was just about the whole show in offensive statistics for San Benito in the Greyhounds’ 13-6 victory over Falfurrias Friday night.
The junior speedster rolled up 164 yards on the ground, much more than half of San Benito’s total yards gained, on 16 carries. He also accounted for one of San Benito’s two touchdowns.
Fullback Jim Lewis was busy banging into the line, too, as the big fellow picked up 46 yards on 14 trips. He also scored a touchdown for the Greyhounds.
Gene Uptegraph, who saw little action in the last half, gained 20 yards on the ground on seven carries. It was Upty who kicked an extra point after San Benito’s first touchdown.
Robert Cortez, playing on offense only in the last half, also gained 20 yards on four carries. Quarterback Eddie McKaughan accounted for 6 yards on three trips.
San Benito passers didn’t complete either of the two tosses the Greyhounds attempted. One, though, was intercepted late in the second quarter.
After not having to kick at all in the first half, San Benito punted twice in the last two periods, with McKaughan doing the honors in place of Upty.
He averaged 22-and-a-half yards for the night as he got off kicks of 18 and 27 yards.
To see this story in print, pick up a copy of the Oct. 30 edition of the San Benito News, or subscribe to our E-Edition by clicking here.
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