Gutsy call lifts Raiders past Greyhounds in Week 1 thriller

SAN BENITO — Two words: Instant classic.

PSJA North only led once in the game. But it was when it counted most.

Raiders running back Justin Luna converted a two-point conversion with 4:31 left in the game that gave Pharr North a one-point lead and all the Raiders would need to escape Bobby Morrow Stadium with a 36-35 win against the San Benito Greyhounds on Friday in the Valley Morning Star’s Game of the Week.

San Benito had a shot with two seconds left in the game but a 29-yard field goal attempt sailed way left and short. The two-point attempt came after Raiders quarterback Noe Garcia ran for a 74-yard touchdown run.
Raiders head coach Bruce Bush said kicking the point after touchdown was never really an option.

“We weren’t slowing them much down at that point,” Bush said. “It’d been a long, hard-fought game to that point. They’re a very physical team with a lot of good athletes. If we kick the extra point we might go to overtime. We had to close the deal and put the game on the line. I told the kids, we either win it or lose it here. And Justin Luna did a great job for us.”

In only that moment, Pharr North might have been superior to San Benito, but alas only in that moment.
The two squads squared off in a classic blow-for-blow affair in a game very deserving of being named game of the week.

“I told them I didn’t want to see any tears or heads hanging low,” SB head coach Spencer Gantt said. “We played a very good and well-coached football team. This wasn’t for a district title and that’s our goal…to win a district title. There's nothing you can do about this but get better. I was very pleased with the way our kids played and we’re going to get better.”

San Benito took the early lead on QB Brandon Marquez’s one-yard run and held a 14-7 halftime advantage. The Greyhounds also scored on a one-yard run by running back Tommy Herrera and the Raiders scored on a three-yard run by Alex Gutierrez.

But it was the opening drive of the second half for the Raiders that made the difference.
With 10:25 left in the third, Garcia completed a 47-yard TD strike to Fernie Martinez to tie the game at 14 at the point. San Benito answered back with a nice 70-yard drive capped off by a very nice and tough run by Marquez to score on an 11-yard run. On that run, Marquez was grabbed by the facemask at around the 15 but escaped for the score and the San Benito 21-14 lead.

Garcia led the Raiders back on the next drive and scored on a 66-yard run to tie the game again at 21. Garcia ended up with 161 rushing yards and three TDs on nine carries.

Herrera answered Garcia’s score and ran it in from 30 yards for a Greyhound 28-21 lead. In return, Garcia led the

Raiders 80 yards downfield and punched it in from three yards to tie the game at 28.

Not to be outdone by his counterpart, Marquez engineered his own 80-yard drive and scored from 28 yards to give SB a 35-28 lead.

It didn’t take Garcia long to answer as he broke free for that 74-yarder on the first play of the drive.

“The difference was that first possession of the second half,” Bush said. “Noe did a great job for us in the second half. And I think I did a better job of play calling in the second half. I made some bad calls in the first half.”

Marquez finished with three TDs and 157 yards on 21 carries while Herrera had 171 yards rushing and two scores on 27 carries.