The Quartz Hill Rebels have not been in the CIF Championship game since 2008 — a year in which they had not only made it to the game, but they also won it. This year, the Rebels faced off against Valley View High School, one of the better teams in California. During the regular season, Quartz Hill clinched a playoff spot with a 10-4 record, allowing them to be in the running for the CIF Division 11 Championship.

     Valley View came out with a great attack, scoring a touchdown in the first 2:13 seconds of the game. The Rebels, on the other hand, came out sluggish until junior receiver Arthur Delgado lead the Rebels with big carries which led to a Quartz Hill touchdown. Delgado told us about his aggressive play: “This game is for the seniors and I really want them to go out with a ring.” Delgado stayed true to his words helping the Rebels tie up the game.

     However, Valley View came back even stronger, quickly scoring two touchdowns, making the score 21-7. Then, in the second quarter, the Rebels defense did not allow Valley View to score a single point, allowing the offense, led by Matthew Tago, to make its drives down field. The offense later led another drive by senior running back Manny Thomas, making the score 21-19, with the Rebels only down two points at the end of the half.

     In the third quarter, the Rebels kicked off strong and began to get back into the game. After two incredible plays, Quartz Hill was able to catch up and lead the game 32-21. With Manny Thomas’s 12-yard run, the Rebels were able to score a touchdown. A key play of the third quarter was when Davon Jones took the ball from the Eagles and scored on an 80 yard run.

     All was going well for the Rebels until the fourth quarter, when Valley View began to take over. Quartz Hill had the chance to win it all with a field goal, which would have given them a greater lead. However, because of the pressure of the game, the Rebels decided to throw the ball on the fourth down and ended up losing possession. With the loss of possession, the Eagles took advantage of the time they had and ran every play without stopping. With 1 second left, on 4th down, the Eagles ran the ball past the Quartz Hill offensive and scored a touchdown, allowing the Eagles to win their first ever CIF Championship game.

     Both teams performed well, and the sole fact that Quartz Hill even got to the Championship game is phenomenal. We are proud of our Boy’s Football team for their fantastic year.