High School Playoff Scores, Schedule and Five Points for FFN

The area round of the playoffs is here!

All games are out of town this week for teams across the borderlands but you can follow this webpage for live scores as they happen, via Scorestream.

Here is the schedule:

• Parkland (11-0) vs. Wichita Falls High (4-7) @ Midland Grande Communication Stadium
• Burges (9-3) vs. Lubbock Cooper (10-1) @ Ft. Stockton
• Canutillo (9-2) vs. Canyon Randall (4-7) @ Andrews
• Sat. Americas (10-1) vs. Arlington High (8-3) @ Midland Grande Communication Stadium 

Last night's games:

• Rider 63 - Hanks 27
• Decatur 69 - Mountain View 0
• Springtown 53 - Clint 15

Among last night's finishes stands the Hanks Knights. First-year head coach Jason Blair out-performed with his Hanks squad that pummelled 2-5A Champions in Austin last week led by their quarterback Aaron Molina and El Paso's all-time leading receiver in Mykal Blanco. Their season ended on Thursday night but they out-performed this season by many measures.

Game to watch: Parkland vs. Wichita Falls

The unbeaten Parkland Matadors head to the area round to test their high-flying offense against Wichita Falls on Friday. Senior quarterback Gabe Herrera, who will be El Paso's all-time passing touchdown leader when his high school career is done, has been outstanding this year. In a passing game that includes Donta Hayes and Jesse Sandoval, Parkland averages well over 400 passing yards per game.

On the other hand, Wichita Falls also boasts a nice passing game. Their junior quarterback Zy Gravitt is a 2,000-plus passer and has thrown 17 touchdowns.

After falling short last year in the area round, the Matadors are determined to bounce back this year, and winning area would avenge last year's surprising loss.

Hot storyline: Can Canutillo keep winning tight games? 

Canutillo is the most healthy they have been all season long, getting back their standout senior tailback Carlos Amato from injury. All the pieces seem to be coming together for this team at the right time. Their dominant win over Andress last week in the bi-district playoff round was an indication of how they can perform at a high level. Their other featured running back Joaquin Carrasco can handle the majority of carries on the ground, while their quarterback Caleb Rodriguez has stepped up as a playmaker in recent weeks. Defensively, Josiah Holloway and Esteban Tavera are huge factors for this group.

Canyon Randall knocked Parkland out of the area round last year and with a seasoned group this year, they will be a tough out for the Eagles, nonetheless.

Bonus Storyline: Americas is special, but can they beat a tough Arlington High? 

There is no denying that Americas' 2019 season has been an overachievement by all standards. They have an efficient offense led by their junior tailback Aaron Dumas, who broke Deion Hankins' single-season city rushing record last week in the bi-district win over Frenship. Their defense is about as scary as it gets with the state-wide sack leader in Dylan Kemp and a secondary built to create turnovers.

But Arlington High is scary good. Their quarterback Kris Sims and running back BJ Rogers generate most of their offense, while they have a Florida-commit in their secondary, Jahari Rogers.

Can Americas pull this off or is this the end of a magical season for the Trailblazers?

Bonus: Greater El Paso Football Showcase Draft (Sunday)

High school football all-star festivities will take place this Sunday at Eastwood high school, as coaches from the Blue Thunder and Red Storm will assemble their teams for the senior all-star game on Saturday, December 21st.

Each year, the Greater El Paso Football Showcase gets bigger and better than the previous year and they out-do themselves each season. Following the draft, the Combine will take place in December, along with the Quarterback Challenge, scholarship banquet and of course, the big game at the Sun Bowl.