The Franklin Cougars will head out on the road to face off against the Pebble Hills Spartans at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Franklin has given up an average of 30.7 points per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Last Friday, Franklin didn't have too much trouble with Eastlake as they won 70-54. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Cougars' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 153rd, while the Falcons are ranked 320th).
Ernie Powers
| 10/24/25 vs Eastlake | 526 |
| 11/07/24 vs Pebble Hills | 408 |
| 10/10/25 vs Eastwood | 397 |
| 09/25/25 vs Coronado | 388 |
| 09/12/25 vs Monterey | 365 |
Ernie Powers was his usual excellent self, rushing for 526 yards and eight touchdowns while picking up 15.5 yards per carry. Those 526 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Franklin also got a significant boost from Atreyu De La Riva, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 88 yards.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Franklin was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 629 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Pebble Hills beat Eastlake 19-14 on Friday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Spartans.
Pebble Hills' win came from a few key players Franklin will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Joe Fernandez, who threw for 206 yards and a pair of TDs, and also rushed for 52 yards. Pebble Hills' leading receiver Noah Tarrant was Fernandez's top target yet again, picking up 76 receiving yards and two scores.
One reason for the win was Pebble Hills' imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. In that department, Jayden Frasier was the leader with two. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one sack the last three times he's played.
Franklin's record is now 7-2. As for Pebble Hills, their record now sits at an identical 7-2.
Franklin strolled past Pebble Hills in their previous meeting back in November of 2024 by a score of 49-35. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cougars since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
