SAN BENITO — Since Dan Gomez took over San Benito’s football program in 2014, it has been playoff or bust for the Greyhounds.
During Gomez’s tenure, San Benito has qualified for the postseason each of his nine years, including a third-round playoff run last season.
After an 11-2 overall record last year, which included a pair of postseason wins and a near-perfect regular season, expectations are even higher heading into Gomez’s 10th season, with the Greyhounds opening the year as the No. 2 team in the RGVSports.com Top 10 poll.
“It’s cool, but we’re not really worried about the preseason rankings,” San Benito defensive lineman Karmyne Castilleja said. “We have to earn that ranking at the end of the day. We’re more worried about the end of the season.”
Offensively, the Greyhounds have arguably the best running back in the Valley spearheading their ground-and-pound attack, with senior Fabian Garcia returning for one final ride.
The Dave Campbell’s Texas Football 6A Preseason all-state selection set a school record in rushing yards last year (2,230), adding 29 touchdowns. He’ll be looking for his third straight 1,000-yard season during his final season.
Garcia isn’t the only offensive weapon returning, with senior quarterback Aaron Corona and senior running backs Aaron Garza and Atticus DeLeon set to share the backfield with their superstar teammate.
Corona finished with 799 yards and 11 touchdowns through the air, and Garza and DeLeon combined for 817 yards and 13 touchdowns as complements to Garcia.
“We have a lot of guys that we can pound the ball with,” Garcia said. “There is just a lot of excitement right now. Then we have good chemistry with our O-line, too. I’ve been with them since middle school, so we have a good bond.”
San Benito’s defense will have big shoes to fill after last season’s group allowed just 12.0 points per game. With six returners, however, the War Dog defense has the potential to be just as dominant.
Defensive linemen Devin Silva and Karmyne Castilleja created chaos from the trenches last season, combining for 18 tackles for loss and seven 1/2 sacks last year.
Swarming linebackers Danny Cavazos (111 total tackles, four TFL, two sacks) and Devon Robinson (71 total tackles, 12 TFL, nine sacks) also return this season. Add in ball hawking defensive backs Peter Jackson (four INTs, four PDs) and Christian Garza (two INTs), and the defense should be in good hands.
“We have a lot of guys who can bring pressure on the defensive line,” Castilleja said. “Then we have a lot of experience coming back, too. This team is just trying to be better than last year’s team.”
One thing that has avoided San Benito more often than not during Gomez’s tenure has been a district title.
The Greyhounds have captured the gold ball just twice during his time at the helm, a tri-championship in 2015 and an outright title in 2017. They’ve come close several other times, finishing as runner-up on four occasions.
With impact players on both sides, the District 32-6A title could find its way back to San Benito, with another deep postseason run also possibly in the cards.
“I have one last year, so why not bring it home?” Garcia said. “I’m just going to go all out. I think as a team, we just have to take it day by day and focus on us.”
The Greyhounds open the regular season against No. 6 Brownsville Veterans at 7 p.m. Friday at Bobby Morrow Stadium in San Benito. They’ll continue their non-district slate with games against Brownsville Pace, McAllen Memorial, Mission Veterans and Edinburg High before hitting a district-wide bye week.
San Benito kicks off District 32-6A play on the road against Brownsville Hanna (Oct. 6) and Brownsville Rivera (Oct. 12). They’ll close out their schedule with arguably their toughest district opponents, taking on Harlingen High (Oct. 20), Los Fresnos (Oct. 27) and Weslaco High (Nov. 3) during the final three weeks.
