Two dominant signal callers in Julian Williams and Joe Fernandez are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Eastlake Falcons will host the Pebble Hills Spartans at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
On Friday, Eastlake lost to Franklin on the road by a 70-54 margin. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game on October 9th (49), the Falcons still had to take the loss.
Despite their defeat, Eastlake saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Jordan Reveles, who picked up 101 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns, was perhaps the best of all. Another pass catcher making a difference was Ethan Rivera, who picked up 57 receiving yards and two scores.
Special teams also deserves some recognition, posting 12 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Rivera, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Pebble Hills, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They breezed past Socorro to the tune of 56-0 on Friday. The result was nothing new for the Spartans, who have now won four matchups by 31 points or more so far this season.
Pebble Hills' win came from a few key players Eastlake will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jaden Denson, who picked up 53 receiving yards and a pair of TDs. Those 53 receiving yards gave him a new career-high. Kahlib Price was another key rusher, rushing for 60 yards and one touchdown on only six carries.
Pebble Hills was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 228 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Socorro only rushed for 115.
One reason for the win was Pebble Hills' imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for five sacks. In that department, Jayden Frasier was the leader with two.
Pebble Hills pushed their record up to 6-2 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 11.0 points on average over those games. As for Eastlake, their loss dropped their record down to 4-4.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Eastlake has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 216.1 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Pebble Hills struggles in that department as they've been averaging 164.9 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Eastlake was able to grind out a solid victory over Pebble Hills in their previous matchup back in November of 2024, winning 28-20. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Spartans' Zereian Quarles, who rushed for 214 yards and one score, and also caught one TD. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Falcons to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
