EL PASO It was a long trip to the Sun City for the Permian football team for its game against El Paso Pebble Hills.
It was a longer trip back home for the Panthers.
Spartans quarterback Gael Ochoa passed for four touchdowns to lead the home team to a 45-28 victory against Permian in a Class 6A Division I bi-district playoff game Friday at the Socorro ISD Student Activities Complex.
El Paso Pebble Hills improved to 10 -1 on the season, with the Panthers finishing 9-2.
The Spartans will play the winner of the North Crowley-Timber Creek game next week.
Permian running back Juzstyce Lara scored a pair of first-half rushing touchdowns to keep the Panthers close, 24-14, at the break.
Lara, a junior, finished with 22 touchdowns on the season.
Senior quarterback Rodney Hall threw a pair of touchdowns passes to finish with 33 in his career, one shy of the program record set by Vic Vines (1977-78) and Mike Winchell (1987-88).
The Spartans broke the game open with two scores in the third quarter.
Permian couldn’t recreate any of its comeback magic from earlier in the season to climb back into the game.
Pebble Hills converted three fourth-down plays to keep drives alive, all eventually leading to touchdowns.
It is just the seventh time in 40 playoff appearances that Permian has not advanced past the first round.
