Pebble Hills went into this game already knowing it would be a battle. Last year, the San Angelo Central High School Bobcats defeated the Spartans in the 6-A State Playoffs to end the Spartans first-ever playoff run. This would be the chance at revenge, but they fell short and their perfect season was over. Sept. 21, the Spartans faced San Angelo yet again, but faced a similar outcome with a score of 31-20, Bobcats.

At the beginning of the game, the Spartans turned the ball over to the Bobcats. Both teams struggled to put points on the board until the Bobcats managed to make a 60-yard touchdown against the Spartans, making the score 7-0 in the first quarter. 

Back-to-back touchdowns in the third quarter gave the Spartans confidence, but the defense struggled to keep the opposing team from the end zone throughout the game. According to players, putting together a complete game was the difference.

“I think we need to keep our attitude up and our spirits high,” senior defensive player Jonas Christmas said. “We have four quarters to play. One quarter doesn’t determine the game. If we can put all four quarters together, then we can get it done no matter who we play.”

Junior, Isaiah Davis, felt that the team certainly has some improvements that need to be made going forward after this loss. 

“We have to keep our energy up. We have to keep our courage up because before the second half we really lost our energy. We really lost our courage to win the game, so if we keep that, I think we would be straight,” Davis said. “We could have beat this team easily.”

Pebble Hills’ head coach, Mark Torres, feels confident on how his team matches up with other teams in Texas.

“I don’t think we could’ve played harder. I think our kids played with outstanding effort. They gave us everything that they had and I’m extremely proud,” Torres said. “We overcame a lot of adversity this week, even on the trip up here as you guys are well aware of. We will bounce back. This is a big learning experience for us. I think we can play in this part of the state, and I think if we polished some things up and if I do a better job of coaching, I think we’ll have a better chance at winning.” 

The Spartans look to bounce back as they prepare to host Eastlake for the Spartans’ Homecoming this Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at the SISD Student Activities Complex.