Football Friday Night Week 3: Schedule, Scores and 5 Storylines

High school football week three is here in El Paso, as district play kicks off in 1-6A and non-district matchups continue for 5A and 4A across the city.

Follow 600 ESPN El Paso all evening for live scoring updates of all the scheduled games. Paul MacKinnon is back with Beau Bagley as our hosts for the season and they will get things started at 5:30 p.m. tonight with a special pregame show ahead of Chihuahuas baseball. After the Chihuahuas game, we will have the recap edition of Football Friday Night.

600 ESPN El Paso Reporter Schedule
Pebble Hills (2-0) at Eastwood (1-1) Steve Escajeda (GOTW)
Montwood (0-2) at Americas (1-1) Dave Gest
Austin (0-2) at Canutillo (1-1) Brandon Cohn
Burges (0-2) at Parkland (2-0) Zay Galindo
Andress (0-2) at Del Valle (1-1) JD Sursely
Ysleta (1-1) at Bowie (1-1) Joe Rodriguez
Jefferson (0-2) at Riverside (1-1) Jerry Alvarez
Chaparral (1-1) at Bel Air (2-0) Adrian Telas
Clint (1-1) at Gadsden (2-1) Russ Bannister

Last night: Franklin 14 - Coronado 13; Eastlake 35 - El Dorado 20

In an ugly edition of the West Side Bowl, Franklin eked out a slight 14-13 win over Coronado for their sixth straight victory in the rivalry series at the Sun Bowl.

The Cougars were playing without wide receiver Patrick Powers, running back/linebacker Jordan Morales and backup tailback Ernie Powers. Meanwhile, the Thunderbirds' quarterback Owen Levesque was out with a leg injury.

Coronado backup quarterback Ben Wilson played well in the game, as he scored a rushing touchdown in the first half. The Thunderbirds led at the half thanks to a Blake Randag kickoff return for a touchdown, 13-7.

In the third quarter, Franklin capitalized off Coronado penalties and punched in the go-ahead touchdown with their third-string running back Jason Villagrana from 4-yards out. The Thunderbirds had several chances down the stretch, but weren't able to score in the second half, ultimately falling 14-13.

Game of the night: Pebble Hills at Eastwood

It's the matchup that has been highly anticipated for weeks now. Both teams will enter 6A play with expectations to contend for a district title. This game will be the first step in trying to bolster a resume to win a district crown for either of these teams.

Pebble Hills is coming off a 33-6 win at Del Valle last week in which they dominated the Conquistadores in the second half. They pulled off a tight game against Canutillo in week one. Now, the Spartans get their first district test against a veteran Trooper squad. Offensively, quarterback Gael Ochoa (347 passing yards, 220 rushing) and running back Zereian Quarles (193 rushing yards) lead the balanced Pebble Hills attack.

Eastwood is fresh off their 55-28 beatdown against Las Cruces High. The Troopers are led by one of the top quarterbacks in town in Evan Minjarez (583 passing yards, 137 rushing). Like all of his Eastwood predecessors, Minjarez is going to kill you through the air with the spread offense that coach Julio Lopez runs, but they are also able to keep defenses honest with a solid run game led by Max Mancilla.

This is going to be a war. I have to side with the home team in a nail biter. Take the over on this one!

Eastwood 59 - Pebble Hills 56

Dark horse game of the night: Montwood vs. Americas

In the gauntlet that is 6A, Montwood and Americas will have to fight throughout district play for a shot at playoff contention.

Both teams lost hard fought matchups last week. San Angelo Central squeezed past Montwood in a tight 35-33 game at the SISD SAC last week. Additionally, Americas dropped a home game to Odessa High (22-20) thanks to a game-winning field goal by the Bronchos. Now they meet for an east side matchup that could have playoff implications down the line.

Montwood is led by a balanced run-pass attack championed by their veteran running back Izayuh Claudio (165 rushing yards) and wideout Diego Oaxaca (133 receiving yards). Quarterback Michael Southern has come onto the scene nicely with the Rams and has brought stability to the position.

Simply put, Americas has dudes all over the field that can ball. Whether it's running back Cam'Ron Johnson (208 rushing yards) or quarterback Mark Moore (250 passing, 112 rushing); whether it's defensive back Anthony Miranda or running back Brian Gonzalez-Promesse; whether it's wide receiver Abdiel Rincon or running back Omarion Dumas, this team has guys everywhere.

Give me the Trailblazers, and don't sleep on them to somehow be in district title contention when it's all said and done.

Prediction: Americas 42 - Montwood 35

Andress seeks first win at Del Valle

It's been a tough start to the season for the Andress Eagles, as they've lost to both Eastlake and Franklin by a combined 83-8 in the first two weeks. Andress needs to find an identity on offense, but they might struggle yet again against a tough Del Valle squad.

Following their week one dismantling of Burges (67-25), Del Valle dropped a big one to Pebble Hills last week, 33-6. However, in the loss, quarterback Jake Fette missed the game due to a concussion. He's a newcomer to watch this year across town and is expected to pair well with running back Juan Archuleta and ATH Shelton Fuller III.

Prediction: Del Valle 42 - Andress 17

Undercard dog fight: Ysleta at Bowie

This should be a great game in non-district action as both teams are 1-1 on the season, hoping to reach the playoffs in their respective districts.

Bowie dropped their week one opener to Hanks (56-32) but rallied back last week to top Horizon, 28-16. Credit Bears quarterback Abraham Carrasco and running back Joe Rodriguez for leading the way on offense for the Bears. They are looking for momentum against Ysleta as they face their rivals Jefferson next week.

On the other hand, Ysleta has experienced a roller coaster of a season so far. They upset Riverside (34-33) in week one, but unexpectedly lost to Clint last week (28-24). Quarterback Evan Martinez (274 passing yards) leads the squad on offense and will need to have a big night in order to get a win.

Prediction: Ysleta 35 - Bowie 28