Quartz Hill Pounds Out 26-7 Win Behind Smith

Quartz Hill High’s game at San Gorgonio on Friday night was a case of the haves versus the have-nots.

Quartz Hill had Selves Smith, the team’s defensive leader, back in the lineup. Smith missed last week’s game, a one-point upset loss to Hesperia, because of a death in the family but returned Friday with some ferocious tackling.

San Gorgonio, meanwhile, was without 6-foot-7, 297-pound offensive tackle Jason Behunin, who had an injured shoulder.

The result was a defensive-minded 26-7 nonleague win for Quartz Hill.

“I just missed the game so much when I was gone,” Smith said. “It felt great to get back.”

Smith, a linebacker, and his defensive teammates held San Gorgonio (1-2-1) to 153 yards in offense and forced three turnovers. The Spartans’ leading rusher, Hakim Porcher, carried 12 times for just 21 yards; San Gorgonio gained only 32 yards on the ground.

“If you can’t control the line of scrimmage, you’re not going to win too many games,” San Gorgonio Coach Karl Gaytan said.

Quartz Hill (3-1) had no such complaints. The Rebels’ Erik Thomas ran 14 times for 105 yards and two touchdowns. He returned a kickoff 76 yards for a third score.

The game’s first touchdown came after a fumbled punt that Quartz Hill’s David Haney recovered at the Spartan 17-yard line. Five plays later, Thomas ran one yard for a 7-0 lead. That score held up through halftime as Quartz Hill’s defense asserted itself.

On one play, Smith tackled Porcher so hard that the running back returned to the huddle screaming at his linemen.

The injured Behunin could only pace the sidelines. “Gimme some shoulder pads,” he yelled. “Forget it. Just give me a jersey. I want to hit someone.”

After a scoreless third quarter, San Gorgonio threatened with a 17-play, 11-minute drive. But the march stalled at the Quartz Hill 34-yard line after a holding penalty. On Quartz Hill’s next possession, Thomas broke a 65-yard touchdown run that broke the game open.

David Nelson added an eight-yard scoring run several minutes later and the Rebels led, 20-0.

San Gorgonio spoiled the shutout with four seconds left when Bert Minjares threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Michael Thomas on a flea-flicker.

The Rebels countered when Thomas returned the ensuing kickoff for the game’s final score.