The game which was coined Texas Game of the Week between the Pebble Hills Spartans and the Montwood Rams was a roller coaster of emotions. It definitely shaped out to be an incredibly entertaining nail-biter up until the very last minute of play.

Over 12,000 people were in attendance at the Student Activities Complex as the stage was set for an astonishing display of Friday night football; two unbeaten teams, the best defense in El Paso versus the best offense, fighting for the the perfect (regular season) record, the district title, but most importantly, bragging rights in the city.

The game started off with a bomb, a 76-yard touchdown pass from star-studded Montwood quarterback Andrew Fernandez to Tyreese Andrus to make the score 7-0, which put the Rams in the driver’s seat. The Spartans struck back via a 12-yard pass from Orlando Puig to Haredt Gonzalez, making it an even 7-7. The Spartans then cleverly placed a muffed kickoff which they were able to recover and return to the Ram’s own 25-yard line. Running back Caleb Gerber was then able to run in a 25-yard touchdown, unfortunately the Spartans missed the extra point which would later prove to be a quintessential mistake. The Spartans had a 13-7 lead.

Gerber’s performance throughout the night would merit him “overall player of the game.”

As would later prove to be the trend of the night, the Rams placed themselves in front once again with yet another connection from Fernandez to Andrus for an 18- yard touchdown pass making it 14-13.

Gerber then answered with a run of 44 yards and a score for the Spartans; putting the Spartans ahead.

It became clear that this game was going to be a back-and-forth battle on both sides of the ball with momentum often switching sides among the top ranked teams in El Paso.

Fernandez then contributed again via a 1-yard quarterback sneak to put the Rams ahead 21-20.

Late in the second quarter, the Rams faced a 4th and long, but were able to convert when Andrus received the hike on a fake kick, made a few defenders miss, and dove to narrowly reach the first down marker giving the rams a fresh set of downs to work with right before the half. Fernandez then ran in a 51-yard quarterback keeper to make the score 28-20.

The Spartans were afterwards able to punch in a 1-yard quarterback run before the half to make it 26-28, however; the Rams were not done scoring before the break.

Fernandez launched a 50-yard Hail Mary which went right through the hands of safety Jacob Hernandez and ended up in the lap of a Montwood receiver, concluding the neck-and-neck first two quarters with a score of 35-26. Fernandez ended the half with 224 yards and 5 touchdowns.

This marked the first time all season long that Pebble Hills had ever trailed at the half.

But this didn’t stop the Spartans by a long shot. Gerber proved how strong the Spartan morale truly is with an 80-yard run to make it 33-35, the Rams leading ever so slightly due to previous special teams errors by Pebble Hills.

Fernandez soon after connected on a 46-yard touchdown pass, putting his team further ahead at 42-33.

At this point, it seemed as if the Spartans who had dominated every other team in the city, were in unfamiliar spot as they were running out of time and behind on the scoreboard. The pressure was on to make a big play as the Spartans received the kickoff and fumbled the ball. The Rams capitalized on this very costly error via a 7-yard touchdown run by Fernandez, bringing the Rams to a comfortable 49-33 score.

Unbeknownst to everyone in the stadium, this would be the last time the Rams put points on the board as the defense for the Spartans stepped up en route to a late game rally.

Down 16 points, the Spartan fans grew quiet, the players threw their helmets in frustration as tears fell from their eyes. It only made matters worse when the Rams recovered yet another fumble and intercepted the ball on the Spartans next two offensive drives. It looked like the end. For the first time since their previous season, the Spartans were being outmatched.

That was until the Spartan defense came up big and stopped the Rams close to the red zone, forcing a field goal which Montwood missed due to a heavy rush when a defensive player was able to get a hand on the ball causing it to fall short. A glimmer of hope, perhaps, as the play seemed to inject some life into the home team.

Puig then led his team down the field with little time remaining and Gerber was able to punch in a 2-yard touchdown run. The Spartans attempted a two point conversion, but Puig overthrew his intended target, Kevin Averette, as the ball sailed over the right side of the end zone, but that didn’t bring their heads down. The team had a new sense of confidence and hunger, perhaps the most they had the entire night. They just needed 10 points, a touchdown and a field goal to tie the most important game of their season.

The defense knew how important this drive was, and they showed that they weren’t going to concede once again, and forced a punt which would be recovered at the 29-yard line. Shortly after, a 15-yard run from Gerber would put the Spartans right back in the game, making it 46-49.

The Rams weren’t laughing anymore, the Spartans had answered with defensive stops and were in position to take the lead or tie after trailing 16 points. The Spartans were one successful drive away from a district championship.

It was a spectacle to watch as fans from both teams stood up in disbelief. The Spartans had proved so much, far more than enough. Their perfect record clearly wasn’t to blame on the lack of skill produced by other teams, but rather the abundance of skill, teamwork, and drive comprised in the core of the Spartan mentality.

“The fans did a great job,” head coach Mark Torres said. “We’re blessed to be here and represent our community.”

The Rams were in the red zone, close to separating themselves further on the scoreboard, it seemed like they wanted to make one final statement as they tried to score by passing the ball, which proved to be a bad choice as the ball was tipped and intercepted by the Spartans, giving them one final chance to put together a game-winning drive with nearly over two minutes left in the game.

With no timeouts remaining, the Spartans failed to do anything offensively and turned the ball over on downs. The Rams then proceeded to kneel the ball and run the clock out as they celebrated winning back-to-back district championships.

“We learned we need to stay together throughout all four quarters, we kind of broke apart, but at the end of the day we rely on each other.” Wide receiver Kevin Averette said on what his team learned from the loss.

“We proved we can battle,” Coach Torres said. “We know we can overcome adversity at a high level, we faced that all night long. Our kids have a lot of heart. The way I see it is we ran out of time, and there is nothing we can do about that.”

The Spartan varsity football team left an impeccable footprint this season, with an impressive story to tell that will echo throughout time and be remembered for decades. They left their finishing touches, and set the bar extremely high for others to follow. According to students, coming from a 2-8 season, to being one win away from a district championship is something to cheer about as the program is headed in the right direction.

“Hopefully we can improve on our mistakes, those self-inflicted wounds, and when it really matters that will extend our season we get those plays right,” Torres said. “The only thing that would have made tonight sweeter is if we came out on top, but we’re on our way.”

Quite possibly the greatest game witnessed by any Montwood or Pebble Hills’ supporter in a very long time, finished at a close score of 46-49, in favor of the Rams.

The Spartans are set to face off against their bitter rival, the El Dorado Aztecs in their season finale Thursday night at the Student Activities Complex.