JASON EPP
• Leader & Times
TURPIN, Okla.—Friday night was a tale of contrasting styles as the quick and shifty Turpin Cardinals took on the big and lumbering Garber Wolverines. The Cardinals speed and big plays prevailed, 28-16.
The Cardinal offense racked up 324 yards of offense on just 32 plays to average over 10 yards per play. Big plays played a huge part in that with Turpin only tallying 11 first downs. The defense stood strong against a Garber team that was bigger at virtually every position, holding them to 206 yards and 15 first downs.
“We knew they were going to run a lot of power sets at us and try to use their size advantage on us,” Cardinals Head Coach Justin Hannah said. “Our defense kind of turned into bend but don’t break to force them to make long drives. It’s hard to be mistake-free on those, like a bad snap or holding penalty that gets them behind the chains.”
One of those mistakes happened midway through the fourth quarter. With Turpin leading 20-16, Garber moved deep into Turpin territory. But a bad snap put Garber behind the chains. The Cardinal defense held, and Turpin answered with big gains and the final TD of the game.
“We were as intense and physical as we’ve been all season,” Hannah said. I thought our intensity and focus had been as good all week as it’s been all season. We knew what was on the line tonight, our goal to extend our season. It’s not achieved yet, but it’s a step in the right direction.”
Turpin took a 6-0 lead on a Cesar Quintana 1-yard run in the first quarter. Garber answered back in the second and took an 8-6 lead. The Cardinals were able to answer with Quintana scoring from six yards out to give Turpin a 12-8 lead at the half.
After a scoreless third, Saul Alvarado danced his way through the Wolverine defense on a 27-yard scamper to extend the Cardinal lead to 20-8.
Cesar Quintana completed 11 of 13 passes for 152 yards and ran for three touchdowns and 124 yards on 12 attempts. Saul Alvarado added another TD and 48 yards on 7 rushes. Alvarado also caught 3 passes for another 39 yards. Mason Nelson caught three passes for 72 yards, and Riley Fowler caught 3 for 38 yards.
Defensively, Saul Alvarado had 18 tackles with 10 solo and 2 for loss and an interception; Riley Fowler also finished with 18 tackles, 10 solo, and one for loss, Alex Alvarado had nine tackles and a sack, Daniel Ponce had 4 tackles, a tackle for loss, and a sack, Ryan Olgin had six tackles and a sack, and Noe Rascon finished with seven tackles.
Turpin (2-5; 1-2) will travel to Pioneer Friday.
