LOS FRESNOS — San Benito’s passing game often takes a backset to its rushing attack. Heading into Week 10, the Greyhounds had rushed for 2,473 yards, while passing for only 791.
Friday was a different story, however.
Led by senior quarterback Aaron Corona, the Greyhounds deployed an aerial assault against District 32-6A foe Los Fresnos, with the senior signal caller throwing for nearly 300 yards and three touchdowns passes in a 38-14 rout of the Falcons at Leo Aguilar Memorial Stadium in Los Fresnos.
Corona finished 16-of-17 for 293 yards and three touchdowns, both season-high marks for the senior.
“Just have to be ready,” Corona said. “I pray about it all the time and just try to stay ready. Just got to take advantage of those opportunities when they come. The gameplan was to put up as many points on the board, no matter how we do it.”
The Greyhounds jumped out to a 7-0 lead behind a 58-yard catch-and-run from do-it-all athlete Fabian Garcia midway through the first, setting the tone early for San Benito’s air attack.
The senior finished with a team-high 97 receiving yards on two receptions, also leading the team in rushing with 114 yards and one score on 25 carries.
The Falcons didn’t take long to answer with a long touchdown of their own, with sophomore wideout Lucky Perales turning on the burners for 87-yard touchdown off a pass from sophomore quarterback Robert Pineda during the final minute of the first.
The touchdown would be the last for nearly 36 minutes, with San Benito reeling off 31 straight points over the final three quarters to secure the dominant road win.
Garcia added a three-yard rushing touchdown during the second to retake the lead, with Corona hitting Gabriel Covarrubias in the end zone for the 26-yard score during the final minutes of the second quarter to extend San Benito’s lead to 21-7 at the half.
A 19-yard touchdown run by senior Atticus De Leon and a 62-yard bomb from Corona to Justin Montemayor during the fourth put the final touches on San Benito’s ninth straight win.
“Our coaches taught us about finishing strong,” Corona said. “It is the end of the season and all those hard practices are definitely paying off. We just wanted it more tonight. Our team works so hard. Our coaches prepare us for every situations and we know how to handle those situations. Tonight we came through.”
Defensively, San Benito delivered another stout performance, allowing just 237 total yards and two scores, with 61 of those yards and one touchdown coming on the game’s final drive with the game out of reach.
Sophomore quarterback Robert Pineda accounted for 210 of the Falcons’ total yards, rushing for 72 yards and adding 138 yards and two touchdowns through the air.
San Benito’s victory sets up a district-title-deciding matchup between the Greyhounds (9-0, 4-0) and Weslaco High next week. The Panthers improved to 9-0 overall and 4-0 in district with a 44-6 victory over Brownsville Hanna on Friday.
Kickoff for the game is set for 7 p.m. at Bobby Morrow Stadium in San Benito.
“The message stays the same as every game,” Corona said. “We’re going to prepare just like every week and God willing we’ll get that dub. We’re very confident and we know we can get the win.”
