Football Friday Night: Five Points Ahead of Week 8

It's all coming down to the final four weeks of district play and playoff spots are on the line across the city of El Paso. While Super 5A takes a bye week before district play, the rest of the city is heating up in action.

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	*PA	W-L	PCT.	PF	PA	STRK
FRANKLIN	3-0	1.000	150	114	4-2	0.667	243	221	4 W
EASTLAKE	2-1	0.667	78	74	5-1	0.833	199	115	1 L
AMERICAS	3-1	0.667	96	29	3-4	0.333	146	164	3 W
PEBBLE HILLS	2-1	0.667	106	61	3-3	0.500	186	148	1 W
EASTWOOD	1-2	0.333	108	111	3-3	0.500	232	200	1 W
MONTWOOD	1-3	0.333	106	82	2-5	0.333	188	170	2 L
CORONADO	1-2	0.333	20	90	1-5	0.167	34	175	2 L
SOCORRO	0-3	0.000	0	103	1-5	0.167	86	182	3 L

* Denotes district play

5A-1	W-L	PCT.	PF	PA	STRK
DEL VALLE	5-2	0.714	263	172	1 L
CHAPIN	5-2	0.714	262	182	4 W
EL DORADO	3-4	0.429	200	216	1 L
BEL AIR	2-5	0.286	208	266	3 L

* Denotes district play

5A-2	*W-L	*PCT.	*PF	*PA	W-L	PCT.	PF	PA	STRK
YSLETA	1-0	1.000	42	14	4-3	0.571	222	257	1 W
CANUTILLO	1-0	1.000	28	14	6-1	0.857	248	134	5 W
PARKLAND	0-1	0.000	14	28	1-6	0.143	170	200	3 L
HANKS	0-1	0.000	14	42	1-6	0.143	132	375	4 L
HORIZON	0-0	0.000	0	0	2-4	0.333	255	222	1 L

* Denotes district play

2-5A-2	*W-L	*PCT.	*PF	*PA	W-L	PCT.	PF	PA	STRK
ANDRESS	2-0	1.000	86	36	5-1	0.833	221	152	3 W
BURGES	2-1	0.667	97	56	4-3	0.571	257	158	1 L
JEFFERSON	2-1	0.667	113	56	5-2	0.714	271	139	2 W
AUSTIN	1-1	0.500	41	48	3-3	0.500	124	162	1 W
EL PASO	1-1	0.500	41	90	2-4	0.333	140	273	1 L
BOWIE	1-2	0.333	64	135	1-6	0.143	131	299	1 W
IRVIN	0-3	0.000	91	112	2-5	0.286	222	223	4 L

* Denotes district play

1-4A	*W-L	*PCT.	*PF	*PA	W-L	PCT.	PF	PA	STRK
CLINT	1-0	1.000	22	6	3-4	0.429	169	201	1 W
RIVERSIDE	1-0	1.000	65	7	6-1	0.857	371	130	2 W
FABENS	0-1	0.000	6	22	1-6	0.143	130	137	5 L
SAN ELIZARIO	0-1	0.000	7	65	1-6	0.143	69	281	1 L
MOUNTAIN VIEW	0-0	0.000	0	0	3-3	0.500	188	170	2 L

OCTOBER 15 Schedule

Eastwood (3-3, 1-2) at Eastlake (5-1, 2-1) 4 pm
Andress (6-1, 3-0) at Burges (4-3, 2-1) Jaime Chavez
Canutillo (6-1, 1-0) at Ysleta (4-3, 1-0) Joe Rodriguez
Pebble Hills (3-3, 2-1) at Coronado (1-5, 1-2) Adrian Broaddus
Mountain View (3-3) at Clint (3-4, 1-0) Joey Penisi
Horizon (2-4, 0-1) at Parkland (1-5, 0-1) Steve Escajeda
Austin (3-3, 1-1) at Irvin (2-5, 0-3) Jeremy Carranco
Bowie (1-6, 1-2) at El Paso (2-4, 1-1) Ray Adauto
Fabens (1-6, 0-1) at Riverside (6-1, 1-0) JD Sursley
Franklin (4-2, 3-0) at Socorro (1-5, 0-3) Alex Nicholas

Here are Five Points before kickoff

Thursday Night Rundown

Americas 28 - Montwood 20

The streak of entertaining Thursday night games at the SAC continued last night between Americas and Montwood. Entering the game, Americas was riding some momentum, while Montwood is coming off an emotional loss to Eastwood from last week (33-27).

The Trailblazers took command to start this game and they held a 21-0 lead. The Rams marched back in the second half, outscoring Americas 22-7 the rest of the way thanks to a couple of touchdown passes by quarterback Kevin Melendez. Unfortunately for the Rams, Americas was able to run out the clock and hold onto their 28-22 win. Sophomore quarterback Mark Moore led the way with 214 passing yards, 145 rushing yards and one touchdown.

Suddenly Americas has reeled off three straight wins. They've turned from a potential spoiler team into a true playoff contender. They have a tough three-game stretch against Pebble Hills, Franklin and Eastwood. They will need to win at least one of those games, preferably next week against Pebble Hills, in order to stamp their playoff spot. For Montwood, they have now dropped to 1-3 in district play and will likely have to play spoiler for the rest of the season.

Game of the Week: Andress (6-1, 3-0) at Burges (4-3, 2-1)

Last week's game of the week didn't live up to the hype. There's a world in which this week doesn't live up to the excitement either.

Since losing to Franklin on Sept. 10, Andress has won three straight games and they have outscored opponents 134-78. Junior quarterback Elias Duncan (951 passing yards, 7 TDs, 2 INTs) has a chance to eclipse 1,000 yards on the season tonight. The rushing game has 140 yards or more in every game except against Austin (98 yards). And senior standout/Iowa State commit Jeremiah Cooper is all over the place—598 all-purpose yards, 6 total TDs, 7.0 tackles per game and three interceptions.

Burges could've come into this week on a four-game losing streak. However, Austin upset the Mustangs last week with a dominating 27-14 win. In last week's loss, our own Jaime Chavez reported that running back Tavorus Jones was out all week due to an illness. He averages almost 120 yards on the ground. The hope for Burges is that last week was a total fluke. However, if there's a bit of a hangover from last week's loss, the Mustangs could find them having to come from behind in this game.

Prediction: Andress 34 - Burges 17

Don't Sleep On: Eastwood (3-3, 1-2) at Eastlake (5-1, 2-1

Another big game tonight that could have playoff implications is Eastwood at Eastlake. This feels like a must-win for both teams too.

The Falcons dropped their first game of the season last week to Franklin, who rolled in with a 46-22 win. We'll talk about Franklin later. Meanwhile, the Falcons are left to pick up from last week and they will face a feisty Eastwood squad that doesn't want to miss out on the playoffs. Eastlake ATH Elijah Uribe is leading them in all areas of their offense as the team is still shuffling with an injury to quarterback Sebastian Rendon. Uribe averages 147 yards per game and he has 11 total touchdowns.

With their backs against the wall against Montwood, the Troopers were able to pull off a much-needed victory last Thursday (33-27). Credit the defense for making key stops in that Rams win. The week prior, they gave up 55 points to Franklin in a shootout loss. So, which Eastwood defense will we see tonight? One thing consistent about this squad is their stud quarterback Andrew Martinez, who has now passed the 2,000-yard mark this year (2,019 passing, 418 rushing yards, 14 TDs, 7 INTs).

Prediction: Eastwood 38 - Eastlake 37

Franklin is the new king of the town

Welcome to the top of the hill, Franklin High School. They have snatched the crown from Eastlake as the city's best overall team and they continue to ride a four-game win streak. Last week's key win against Eastlake (46-22) set them up in the driver's seat to potentially win the district title.

Watching quarterback Cameron Byrd mature and lead this group has been special to watch. Byrd has 1,613 passing yards this year with 18 touchdowns and just two interceptions, along with 460 rushing yards. Running back Miles McWhorter is also a difference-maker—791 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.

Beyond Socorro this week, the Cougars will face Coronado, Americas and Pebble Hills to close out the year. There's a strong case that Franklin doesn't lose another game this year in El Paso, and even if they lose, it might not matter. They might have 6A locked up already, barring any disasters or unexpected losses.

Prediction: Franklin 55 - Socorro 7

The hunt for playoff contention is alive and real

There are several games on Friday that have major playoff implications.

Canutillo (6-1), who has been a force lately and has also won five straight, faces a Ysleta squad that can pack a punch on any given night. The Indians have split their last four games (2-2), dropping two games to El Dorado and El Paso, while topping Jefferson and Hanks.

Horizon-Parkland could end up being a game for a playoff spot in the district. Parkland is 1-6 but they are tough on both sides of the ball, recently falling to Canutillo (28-14). Meanwhile, Horizon (2-4) has been competitive even in its losses. They've dropped three of their last four games by less than 10 points in each game.

Austin (3-3) will have an opportunity to boost their playoff hopes against a struggling Irvin squad. Bowie (1-6) and El Paso High (2-4) will square off to try and keep their respective playoff hopes alive.

Clint (3-4) vs. Mountain View (3-3) is a great game out of the 4A ranks. The Lions are coming off a 22-6 win against Fabens, while the Lobos have dropped two straight against Canutillo (57-0) and Pecos (58-41).

Predictions: Canutillo 30 - Ysleta 23; Parkland 47 - Horizon 41; Austin 55 - Irvin 13; Bowie 24 - EPHS 23; Clint 20 - Mountain View 13