EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The way first-year Pebble Hills High football coach Ryan Warner sees it, his team really won its game against Eastwood back in the spring.
Sure, the Spartans beat the visiting Troopers 43-14 in District 1-6A action on Friday night, Oct. 18 in front of a large crowd at the Socorro Activities Center (SAC 1).
But Pebble Hills put in the necessary work back in the spring to score a victory like this, Warner said.
“The biggest thing was the buy-in in the spring,” Warner said. “We came in and preached physicality. We preached grit and we preached being the most disciplined team every single day.”
Of course, it also doesn’t hurt to have a running back like senior Zereian Quarles too.
Quarles rushed 18 times for an incredible 305 yards and scored three touchdowns, all in the second half.
The senior running back scored on touchdown runs of 83 and 57 yards and also scored on 31-yard pass from quarterback Joe Fernandez.
Quarles could have had a fourth touchdown but a long kickoff return for an apparent score was called back on a holding penalty.
“If you watch him, (Quarles) is hard to bring down,” Warner said. “It is a testament to his speed, his effort. He never stops his feet and his balance is amazing. Probably what is most impressive is his vision. He sees that crease and he just takes it and he goes.”
Quarles credited his quarterback Fernandez for spreading out the defense and giving him room to bust some big runs.
Pebble Hills, 3-0 in district and 4-3 overall, jumped out to a 24-0 lead in the first half before settling for a 24-7 margin at the break.
After Pebble Hills’ Anthony Vasquez picked off a pass on the opening series of the game, the Spartans opened the scoring when Fernandez hit Sebastian Carbajal for a 30-yard touchdown with 10:30 to play in the opening quarter.
Pebble Hills also got first-half touchdowns when Dorian Jaramillo scored from 2 yards out and Fernandez ran in from 43 yards out on a quarterback keeper. Michael Melucci also kicked a 34-yard field goal for Pebble Hills.
Eastwood’s Jude Walker scored on a 82-yard kickoff return for the Troopers’ only points of the first half.
Eastwood also got second-half touchdown when quarterback Andre Saenz hooked up with Caleb Flores for a 31-yard score.
Pebble Hills’ Vasquez had two interceptions to lead the Spartans’ defense.
Eastwood falls to 1-3 in district and 3-5 overall with the loss.
“We will celebrate this one; give the kids 48 hours,” Warner said. “And then it is all Socorro (next week’s opponent).”
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