Football Friday Night Week 8: Schedule, Scores and 5 Storylines

Week eight is here and Football Friday Night is ready for another night of high school football action.

Tonight's show will take place on location for a rare occasion, as I'll be joined by Paul MacKinnon and Zay Galindo at the SISD Student Activities Complex for our 915 Tours Game of the Week between Montwood and Pebble Hills.

Here are five things to look out for Football Friday Night week 8:

A busy Thursday slate 

• Canutillo 58 - Andress 7
• Chapin 43 - Burges 7
• El Paso 41 - Jefferson 15
• Americas 38 - El Dorado 0
• Bowie 42 - Irvin 10

Lopsided scores flooded the El Paso area as the week eight slate kicked off on Thursday night in the area.

Out of the 1-6A ranks, Americas had no trouble pushing past El Dorado in a swift 38-0 shutout win. The Trailblazers are firmly in the playoff picture at 4-2 in district play (5-3 overall). They host Coronado next week.

Among the 1-5A Division II slate, Canutillo stole the headlines from Thursday night thanks to a dominant 58-7 win against Andress. Chapin also dominated their opponents in Burges, 42-7. El Paso High kept its playoff hopes intact with a 41-15 win against Jefferson.

Game of the week: Montwood vs. Pebble Hills 

Get your popcorn ready for this one! There might not be a heap of games this week, but this one will take all the intrigue in local high school football.

The Spartans (5-2, 3-2) are led by a balanced attack of senior quarterback Gael Ochoa (1,348 passing yards, 16 total touchdowns) and junior running back Zereien Quarles (747 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns). They average 206 rushing yards per game. Defensively, they've forced 11 turnovers in seven games.

Montwood (4-2, 4-0) is on a steady four-game win streak, fresh off a 41-20 win against Eastlake. In his first year as head coach, Ivan Rangel has put together a district champion contender with the Rams. Senior quarterback Michael Southern has impressed this year (1,456 passing yards, 15 touchdowns), while tailback Izayuh Claudio (496 rushing yards, nine touchdowns) paces them nicely on the ground. They have a dynamic receiving trio of Diego Oaxaca, Gio Varela and Kaleb Alvarez.

Prediction: Pebble Hills 56 - Montwood 55

Playoff implications: Franklin vs. Eastlake 

Games are running out for both Franklin and Eastlake, which each need wins in order to keep playoff hopes alive.

The visiting Cougars (4-2, 2-2) have gone through injuries across their roster in the worst ways possible. Stellar quarterback and division I prospect Shay Smith (859 passing yards, 344 rushing) is the do-it-all guy for the Cougars, but will it be enough against a talented Eastlake squad at the SAC on Friday?

The Falcons (5-2, 3-2) have lost two of their last three matchups, including a 17-0 shutout loss against Americas and a 41-20 defeat to Montwood. This week, the Falcons need to try and get some points on the board offensively. Quarterback Luke Lomeli (15 touchdown passes) will be the key in this game for the Falcons offense, along with his skill position players like Ivan Medrano and Jurnior Trotman.

Prediction: Franklin 24 - Eastlake 21 

Playoff race in 6A outlook 

No one is safe in 1-6A and only a few teams—Coronado, El Dorado and Socorro—are pretty much eliminated from playoff contention. That leaves six teams vying for four playoff spots in 6A, making for an intriguing finish to the regular season.

Atop the division are Montwood and Eastwood, which both have the district's only unbeaten records (4-0). Then Americas, Pebble Hills, Eastlake and Franklin all have two losses on the season.

A lot can change from now until the end of the year.

Eastwood and Montwood have their highly anticipated matchup next Thursday, which could decide the eventual district champion. Pebble Hills-Franklin next Friday could be for a playoff spot. Or, two Thursdays from yesterday, Pebble Hills-Eastlake (Oct. 26) could be a thriller that has playoff implications.

Prediction: (1) Eastwood (2) Pebble Hills (3) Montwood (4) Americas  

Look ahead to next week: Canutillo vs. Chapin 

Both teams are on four-game winning streaks. Both teams have district championship hopes. Both teams finally face off next Friday in a highly anticipated matchup.

Canutillo hasn't lost in about a month. Chapin's last loss was a 56-49 shootout at Del Valle. Something has to give.

Last year, Daveon Singelton went to Canutillo and played well, but ultimately lost 26-0 in a game that was much closer than the score reflects. Can Singelton and head coach Ryan Warner finally get over the Scott Brooks-led Eagles? Or will Canutillo be too much to overpower the Huskies?

I'm ready for this one!