The high school football season is already in week seven as teams gear up to try and polish their records for playoff pushes and district title fights. Week seven brings some excellent in-town matchups across the Sun City. 

Follow 600 ESPN El Paso all evening for live scoring updates of all the scheduled games. Listen in on 600 ESPN El Paso to listen to the latest edition of Football Friday Night starting at 7 p.m., hosted by Beau Bagley and Paul MacKinnon. All of the photos following the game are provided by Prep 1. 

 

Standings in El Paso 

1-6A*W-L*Pct.*PF*PAW-LPct.PFPAStrk
Eastlake2-01.00056285-01.000177695 W
Franklin2-01.000104923-20.6001971993 W
Americas1-10.50040231-40.200901581 W
Coronado1-10.50014341-40.200281191 L
Pebble Hills1-10.50043612-30.4001231481 L
Eastwood1-20.3331081113-30.5002322001 W
Montwood1-20.333106822-40.3331881701 L
Socorro0-20.0000401-40.200861192 L

* Denotes district play

5A-2W-LPct.PFPAStrk
Canutillo5-10.8332201204 W
Ysleta3-30.5001802432 L
Horizon2-30.4002031661 W
Parkland1-50.1671561722 L
Hanks1-50.1671183333 L
5a-1W-LPct.PFPAStrk
Del Valle5-10.8332351362 W
Chapin4-20.6672061303 W
El Dorado3-30.5001831933 W
Bel Air2-40.3331662182 L
2-5A-2*W-L*Pct.*PF*PAW-LPct.PFPAStrk
Burges2-01.00083294-20.6672431313 W
El Paso1-01.00041352-30.4001402182 W
Andress2-01.00086364-10.8001731102 W
Jefferson1-10.50058564-20.6672161391 W
Austin0-10.00014342-30.400971483 L
Irvin0-20.00063772-40.3331941883 L
Bowie0-20.000291070-60.000962716 L

* Denotes district play

1-4AW-LPct.PFPAStrk
Riverside5-10.8333061231 W
Mountain View3-30.5001881702 L
Clint2-40.3331471953 L
Fabens1-50.1671241154 L
San Elizario1-50.167622161 W

OCTOBER 8 Schedule 

  • Socorro (1-4, 0-2) at Pebble Hills (2-3, 1-1) 4 pm 
  • Eastlake (5-0, 2-0) at Franklin (3-2, 2-0) Alex Nicholas 
  • Parkland (1-5) at Canutillo (5-1) Adrian Broaddus  
  • Burges (4-2, 2-0) at Austin (2-3, 0-1) Jaime Chavez  
  • Clint (2-4) at Fabens (1-5) Joe Rodriguez 
  • El Paso (2-3, 1-0) at Jefferson (4-2, 1-1) Jeremy Carranco  
  • Ysleta (3-3) at Hanks (1-5) Steve Escajeda 
  • Bel Air (2-4) at Andress (5-1, 2-0) Brandon Cohn 
  • Chapin (3-3) at Horizon (2-3) JD Sursely 
  • Coronado (1-4, 1-1) at Americas (1-4, 1-1) 7:30 
  • Irvin (2-4, 0-2) at Bowie (0-6, 0-2) 
  • Riverside (5-1) at San Elizario (1-5) 
  • Chaparral (0-6, 0-1) at Cathedral (4-2) 
  • Tornillo(0-6) at Anthony (3-3) 
  • El Dorado (3-3) at Ft Stockton (5-1) 

Here are Five Points before kickoff 

Thursday Night Rundown 

  • Eastwood 33 – Montwood 27 

 Thursday night games at the SAC have been wildly entertaining all season long. This one lived up to the hype. 

But I get to eat crow on this one. Julio Lopez and the Eastwood Troopers—in a do-or-die game for 1-6A playoff implications—came up in the end to top Montwood 33-27. The Troopers have now secured their first, much-needed win in district play and they are now 3-3 (1-2) on the year. Meanwhile, Montwood drops to 2-4 (1-2) on the season.  

Credit the Trooper defense in this game. Not only did they shut down Montwood senior wideout Yamil Oaxaca, but they also came up with a game-saving stop on fourth down late in the game when Montwood was trying to tie the game inside the red zone. 

Eastwood now has to face a tough Eastlake team next Friday that could also have playoff implications down the road. The Rams will try to bounce back next week against Americas on a Thursday night game.  

Game of the Year: Eastlake at Franklin  

Yes you read that right. Game of the year.  

We could end up seeing the eventual 1-6A champion come out of this game between Eastlake and Franklin.  

The Falcons (5-0, 2-0) are the lone unbeaten team in the Sun City. Offensively, they’re led by the do-it-all ATH Elijah Uribe who has 684 rushing yards, 338 passing yards and 240 receiving yards with 10 touchdowns on the season. All signs have pointed to quarterback Sebastian Rendon returning back into the mix after being out since Sept. 24.  

Let’s give love to their defense though. They’re averaging 2.6 sacks per game, with 29 QB hurries and 11 takeaways. In fact, the defense shut out Pebble Hills in the second half of a 33-14 win last week.  

On the other side, Franklin (3-2, 2-0) has been playing their best football lately. Offensively, they can kill you in many ways starting with their quarterback Cameron Byrd. The senior gunslinger, one of the best in the city, has 1,322 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and just two interceptions all year. He’s had 100+ yard rushing games in back-to-back outings. The Cougars’ run game is led by Miles McWorter (692 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns), while their receiving core has a mixed bag of talent—Beau Sparks (555 receiving, 7 TDs), Franco Hernandez (320 receiving, 3 TDs) and a trio of others with over 100 receiving yards.  

Defensively, they are talented at multiple positions. Linebacker Shay Smith is young, yet feisty and skilled. They recently regained linebacker Stephen Powers, who is committed to play at Army next year and he’s arguably their best player.  

Expect a great game here. If last week’s 55-47 Franklin win was any indication of how much offense they can put up, maybe this one is also a shootout. 

Prediction: Franklin 49 – Eastlake 48 

Don't Sleep On: Parkland vs. Canutillo 

Another big game tonight that could have district title implications is Parkland vs. Canutillo. Both teams are on far opposites entering district play, which should also make for an interesting game.  

On one end, the Canutillo squad (5-1) has won four consecutive games, including key a 34-28 (OT) non-district win against Del Valle. They’ve reaped the benefits from their defense that has allowed 20 or fewer points in the last four weeks, along with an average of 1.6 takeaways per game. Individually, junior running back LJ Martin leads them with 1,059 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the year. He’s averaging a whopping 176.5 yards per game.  

While Canutillo has been successful to start the season, Parkland (1-5) has played competitively in a tough non-district schedule. They’ve dropped back-to-back games—27-7 loss to Del Valle and a heartbreaking 50-46 loss to El Dorado last week in the final seconds. Still, this team has some playmakers, such as running back Isaiah Beasley (711 rushing yards, nine touchdowns) and wide receiver DJ Crest-Daniels (520 yards, five touchdowns).  

The key in this one is the Eagles’ defense. If they’re able to shut down Parkland and still maintain a ground game, they could separate themselves. Don’t be surprised if Parkland, the three-time district title winners, pull this one off somehow.  

Prediction: Canutillo 30 – Parkland 13 

5A Showdown: El Paso vs. Jefferson  

Welcome in El Paso High (2-3, 1-0)! Second-year head coach Ray Aguilar and his squad have now won back-to-back games against Irvin (41-35, 2OT) and Ysleta (38-35) after losing their first three games. Suddenly, by definition, you have to put the Tigers in the mix to try and contend for a playoff spot. Quarterback Gerry Chairez is their leader through the air (1,173 passing yards, 11 TDs, four interceptions) and on the ground (395 rushing, three touchdowns).  

Jefferson (4-2, 1-1) is going through a promising season under head coach Tony Martinez and senior quarterback Nathan Alcala (1,131 passing, 13 touchdowns, 0 interceptions). The Silver Foxes also have a stout run game led by tailback Arturo Rubio (836 rushing, nine touchdowns).  

The key in this game will be the Jefferson defense. They’ve allowed 28 or more points in each of their last three outings and have lost two of their last three. If El Paso’s able to move the ball, maybe they can stun Jeff at home.  

Prediction: Jefferson 31 – El Paso 28 

A look ahead: Burges vs. Andress  

Assuming that Andress blows past Bel Air and Burges beats Austin on Friday, the battle for the eventual title out of 2-5A-2 could be on the line next week between the Eagles and Mustangs.  

What a fitting battle for the two best teams in this district, as each school harbors a top prospect in the city. Burges running back and Missouri commit Tavorus Jones continues to have an impactful season, totaling 827 rushing yards and eight scores on the ground. Andress ATH and Iowa State signee Jeremiah Cooper has been fantastic, averaging 7.8 tackles per game and has three interceptions in four outings and 470 all purpose yards.  

Aside from the big names, the most important in this game is everyone around Jones and Cooper. This will be an absolute treat next week to witness.  

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