HARLINGEN — The San Benito Greyhounds have gotten off to a hot start in the Harlingen 7on7 football league.
On Tuesday, the Hounds picked up another win in overtime against Harlingen South and are playing their best ball of the summer.
San Benito will have one more tuneup game Thursday against La Feria before they head to Houston for their second state qualifying tournament on Sunday.
“We’re playing well right now and we feel we are playing with confidence,” said Hounds quarterback Jacob Cavazos. “We have played in a few tournaments and, at first, we were rusty, but now we have found a groove and are playing well.”
In April, the Hounds played in a state qualifying tournament in Dallas but fell just shy of a state berth. Despite the loss, the team managed to finish second in its pool, giving them some confidence moving forward.
San Benito has reached the state tournament three times, in 2001, 2006 and 2007.
The Hounds will compete in Pool F and will square off against Summer Creek, Heights and Magnolia West.
“We’re excited to get another shot at reaching state,” said AJ Garcia. “We’re working on our communication as far as the defense goes, but we continue to improve each day. Communication will be important because obviously we’re not the biggest out there, but with our communication we can make plays. There are new guys on the team, but this 7on7 is bringing our brotherhood together and we’re enjoying it.”
San Benito has looked to Cavazos to guide the offense. It is a new-look Hounds offense and with Erick Retta, Tyrone Harper and Isaiah Trevino all graduated, Cavazos will look to running back Brandon Vasquez and receivers Frankie Garcia and Juan Constante.
“I learned a lot from the seniors last year,” Cavazos said. “It’s always the next man up. We have played this game most of our lives and it’s just a matter of playing our game.”
