Published Nov. 13, 1961
Weslaco Gives Helping Hand
DISTRICT CHAMPION COACHES – Shown above is the coaching staff of the district 16-AAA champion San Benito Greyhounds. Left to right are Joe Brown, freshman coach; Bill Locke, B team coach; Jake Helms, head coach; Bobby Baldwin, backfield coach; and Buck Buchanan, line coach. Officials from San Benito and Port Lavaca met this morning to decide a time and date for the teams’ bi-district game. Port Lavaca won district 15-AAA honors. (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 week, last year, the Greyhounds had an off week. Featured instead are the articles that ran highlighting the coin toss for the upcoming playoff game with Port Lavaca and San Benito winning the district championship thanks to a little help from Weslaco.
San Benito News
San Benito backed into the district 16-AAA undisputed championship Friday night, thanks to a helping hand from the lowly Weslaco Panthers.
BUT THAT lowly tag won’t fit the Panthers after what they did to Rio Grande City.
Weslaco shocked the Rattlers with a 12-12 tie to wrap things up as far as the 16-AAA championship race goes. With only one game left, San Benito is 5-0 in district play and Rio Grande City is 3-1-1.
That means the worst the Greyhounds can do now is 5-1 in league play while the best record the Rattlers can compile is a 4-1-1 mark.
SO THE pressure is off for the Greyhounds, at least for next week’s game with Rio Grande City.
The Rattlers were heavy favorites to trim Weslaco and the San Benito-Rio Grande City game Friday night in Rio Grande City had been expected to decide the district’s playoff representative.
As matters stand now, though, San Benito will meet Port Lavaca, the district 145-AAA winner in a bi-district game following weekend.
OFFICIALS FROM San Benito and Port Lavaca were due to decide a time and site for the game at a meeting today in Kingsville.
Weslaco, having won only one game all year, outplayed the beefy Rattlers all the way Friday night. Rio Grande City was playing without the services of star quarterback Charles LaGrange.
The Panthers led in yardage gained by 279 to 187 and in the first downs, 12-10.
With little more than a minute left in the first half, Rio Grande City scored on a blocked kick and run by Santiago Lopez. The extra points try was no good to bring up a 6-0 halftime score.
WESLACO SCORED touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters to forge into a 12-0 lead. Both extra point attempts failed.
Then in the final quarter, Rio Grande City scored to tie the game at 12-12. The extra point try was blocked to bring up the tie game and hand the championship to San Benito.
San Benito Loses Coin Flip; Bi-District in Port Lavaca
Game Set For Nov. 24 At 8 p.m.
San Benito and Port Lavaca will meet in a class AAA bi-district football game in Port Lavaca Friday, Nov. 24, at 8 p.m.
The date, time and site for the game were decided this morning at a meeting of officials from both towns in Kingsville. A coin flip decided the site with the Port Lavaca school board president winning the toss.
San Benito has won the district 16-AAA championship and owns a 9-0 record for the season.
Port Lavaca, a state finalist last year in class AAA, is again the district 15-AAA champ this year although the Sandcrabs have lost three games for the season.
Port Lavaca officials had offered to play the game at a neutral site, presumably Kingsville. San Benito spokesman, however, called for a coin flip for a home-and-home arrangement.
San Benito School Board President John Benson flipped the coin. The Port Lavaca School Board President called “heads” and heads it fell.
The meeting was held in the Kingsville school business offices.
Port Lavaca officials said “about 1,000” reserved seat tickets will be sent to San Benito “as soon as possible.” The reserved seat tickets will be in addition to about 500 student tickets.
The Port Lavaca stadium has a permanent seating capacity of 3,800. It was indicated, however, that temporary bleachers will be put up for the bi-district game.
San Benito was promised half the tickets available for the game.
Making the trip from San Benito were Benson, Superintendent of Schools John Barron, High School Principle Marshall Storey, Head Football Coach Jake Helms, Steve Elam, Hector Casas, Mickey McKaughan and Johnny Sanford.
In preliminary agreements, game officials from Valley, Victoria and San Antonio chapters were ruled out.
Both teams still have one regular season game to play. Friday night San Benito will be in Rio Grande City while Port Lavaca will be in Beeville.
San Benito cinched the district 16-AAA championship and the bi-district berth last week when Weslaco tied the last contender, Rio Grande City, 12-12.
Port Lavaca cinched the 15-AAA crown and the right to meet the Greyhounds with its 14-0 win last week over Robstown.
Port Lavaca is about 225 miles from San Benito.
Recent Comments