Jeff-Austin, Riverside-Clint Headline a Huge Week 10 of Football

Only two weeks left of high school football in the Sun City, as playoff hopes are on the line across the city. Several district title hopefuls will clash in week 10.

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.

In-Town Standings

1-6A	*W-L	*PCT.	*PF	*PA	W-L	PCT.	PF	PA	STRK
FRANKLIN	5-0	1.000	249	114	6-2	0.750	342	221	6 W
EASTLAKE	4-1	0.800	187	115	7-1	0.875	308	156	2 W
PEBBLE HILLS	4-1	0.800	198	88	5-3	0.625	278	175	3 W
AMERICAS	3-2	0.600	144	106	3-5	0.375	194	241	1 L
EASTWOOD	2-3	0.400	233	190	4-4	0.500	357	279	1 W
MONTWOOD	1-4	0.200	126	160	2-6	0.250	208	248	3 L
CORONADO	1-4	0.200	27	173	1-7	0.125	41	258	4 L
SOCORRO	0-5	0.000	20	238	1-7	0.125	106	317	5 L

* Denotes district play.

5A-1	*W-L	*PCT.	*PF	*PA	W-L	PCT.	PF	PA	STRK
DEL VALLE	1-0	1.000	33	23	6-2	0.750	296	195	1 W
CHAPIN	2-0	1.000	69	27	7-2	0.750	331	209	5 W
EL DORADO	0-2	0.000	23	33	3-6	0.375	223	249	2 L
BEL AIR	0-1	0.000	27	69	2-6	0.250	235	335	4 L

* Denotes district play.

5A-1	*W-L	*PCT.	*PF	*PA	W-L	PCT.	PF	PA	STRK
CANUTILLO	3-0	1.000	125	31	8-1	0.889	345	151	7 W
HORIZON	2-0	1.000	90	35	4-4	0.500	345	257	2 W
YSLETA	1-2	0.333	56	99	4-5	0.444	236	342	2 L
PARKLAND	0-2	0.000	42	76	1-7	0.125	198	248	4 L
HANKS	0-2	0.000	24	96	1-7	0.125	142	429	5 L

* Denotes district play.

2-5A-2	*W-L	*PCT.	*PF	*PA	W-L	PCT.	PF	PA	STRK
BURGES	3-1	0.750	132	90	5-3	0.625	292	192	1 W
AUSTIN	3-1	0.750	112	54	5-3	0.625	195	168	3 W
ANDRESS	3-1	0.750	168	78	6-2	0.750	303	194	1 W
JEFFERSON	3-1	0.750	172	77	6-2	0.750	330	160	3 W
EL PASO	2-2	0.500	92	147	3-5	0.375	191	330	1 L
BOWIE	1-4	0.200	112	239	1-8	0.111	179	403	2 L
IRVIN	0-5	0.000	98	201	2-7	0.222	229	312	6 L

* Denotes district play.

1-4A	*W-L	*PCT.	*PF	*PA	W-L	PCT.	PF	PA	STRK
RIVERSIDE	3-0	1.000	194	19	8-1	0.889	500	142	4 W
CLINT	2-0	1.000	75	41	4-4	0.500	222	236	2 W
FABENS	1-2	0.333	47	95	2-7	0.222	171	210	1 W
SAN ELIZARIO	0-2	0.000	21	94	1-7	0.125	83	310	2 L
MOUNTAIN VIEW	0-2	0.000	35	123	3-5	0.375	223	293	4 L

* Denotes district play

Week 10 Schedule

Franklin (6-2, 5-0) at Americas (3-5, 3-2) 4 pm Alex Nicholas
Clint (4-4, 2-0) at Riverside (8-1, 3-0) Joe Rodriguez
Austin (5-3, 3-1) at Jefferson (6-2, 3-1) Jeremy Carranco
Bel Air (2-6, 0-1) at Del Valle (7-1, 1-0) JD Sursley
Eastwood (4-4, 2-3) at Coronado (1-7, 1-4) Brandon Cohn
Parkland (1-7, 0-2) at Ysleta (4-5, 1-2) Jaime Chavez
Hanks (1-7, 0-2) at Horizon (4-4, 2-0) Joey Pennisi
Andress (6-2, 3-1) at El Paso (3-5, 2-2) Ray Adauto
Burges (5-3, 3-1) at Irvin (2-7, 0-5)
Mt. View (3-5, 0-2) at San Eli (1-7, 0-2)
Montwood (2-6, 1-4) at Pebble Hills (5-3, 4-1) Alex Nicholas
Tornillo (0-8, 0-2) at Crane (7-2, 2-0)

Here are Five Points before kickoff

Thursday Night Rundown

Chapin 48 - El Dorado 7
Eastlake 43 - Socorro 20

Hello, Chapin High! The Huskies went on a tear in enemy territory and dominated their district foe in El Dorado with a 48-7 win at the SAC on Thursday. Quarterback Mason Standerfer threw six impressive touchdowns on the night en route to a huge win. They blanked the Aztecs by halftime, 35-0, and ran away with it in the second. My hat goes off to the coaching staff and head coach Ryan Warner.

Standerfer, who’s been great all year, has thrown for over 2,000 passing yards on the season with 38 touchdown passes. Wide receivers Anthony Rivera (97 yards per game) and Timothy Pastran (89 ypg) are a dynamic duo. Defensively, they went into Thursday’s game with 13.0 sacks on the year and seven interceptions.

This Chapin team dropped two of its first three contests, including losses to Andress and Canutillo. Since then, they’ve won six straight. All of this sets up for a massive showdown for the district title next week against Del Valle (6-2). That could be our game of the week next week.

Game of the Week: Austin (5-3, 3-1) at Jefferson (6-2, 3-1)

The Austin Panthers have been one of the best stories across high school football this year. They have been near-perfect in district play, but their 3-1 record mirrors the other top three teams in this district. One can say similar sentiments about the Jefferson Silver Foxes and the surprising season they’ve had. Head coach Tony Martinez has a chance to make history with this group.

Out of 2-5A-2, Burges, Andress, Austin and Jefferson all post a 3-1 record in district play. Burges beat Andress; Andress dominated Austin; and, Austin topped Burges. The Mustangs gave Jefferson its only loss of the year. Something has to give.

It’s right to assume that all four of these teams will likely make the playoffs. The team that is crowned district champion will be another thing, though. Matt Stepp of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football pointed out to me that there isn’t a coin flip scenario in EPISD anymore as we’ve seen in years past. If there is a tie atop the district, they will go by a net points system to determine the champion.

Jefferson-Austin not only has playoff hopes on the line, but the matchup also could have district title implications.

Austin’s impact player is their two-way star Jayden Wilson, who is coming off a monster game against El Paso High in which he rushed for 242 yards with 2 TDs, along with eight total tackles, two QB hurries and two forced fumbles on defense. The word on the street is that the Panthers might have to play without Wilson against the Panthers due to an injury that he suffered last week. Per sources, Wilson was a limited participant in practice this week and if he were to miss Friday’s game, they will roll with Sergio Rodriguez at the tailback spot.

Jefferson is led by senior quarterback Nathan Alcala, who has totaled 1,433 passing yards and 19 touchdown passes on the year. He just put up 310 total yards and five touchdowns against Bowie last week. Running back Arturo Rubio has amassed 1,210 yards and 13 TDs. The Silver Foxes are currently on a three-game unbeaten streak following their narrow 28-22 loss to Burges. This is their golden opportunity to pull an upset late in the year to shake things up big time for this district. Looking ahead, Jefferson has Andress on their schedule next week for what could be a district title showdown.

Prediction: Jefferson 28 - Austin 27

1-4A Title Game: Clint (4-4, 2-0) at Riverside (8-1, 3-0)

Let’s be honest. Both Clint and Riverside breezed through district play to get to this point.

The Riverside Rangers (8-1) want to keep their perfect in-town record intact as they quest for a district title. The Rangers are averaging a whopping 66.0 points per game in their last four outings. Quarterback Angel Munoz put up 188 passing yards, 164 rushing and totaled four TDs in their 70-0 win over Mountain View. Both Munoz (1,296 rushing yards) and running back Jose Guardado (1,285) have put up over 1,200 yards and combine for 29 rushing touchdowns. Great work by head coach Gary Recoder and his staff for being absolutely dominant through this last stretch.

Clint will be their biggest tests in town yet. They have three players that pace the ground game nicely for the Lions—Isaiah Gonzales (908 rushing yards, 9 TDs), Manuel Holguin (734 yards, 6 TDs) and Kevin Quezada (400 yards, 3 TDs). If the Lions can control the ball and also disrupt Munoz/Guardado on defense, they can definitely hang in this game.

Prediction: Riverside 56 - Clint 35

Franklin QB Cameron Byrd Named Built Ford Player of the Week (6A)

Three straight weeks, three consecutive Built Ford Tough Texas High School Football Player of the Week honors in El Paso. This time, it’s Franklin quarterback Cameron Byrd.

Of all the top quarterbacks in the city, Byrd stands out to me as the best in El Paso. Last week, he torched Coronado in the 48-0 win, completing 27-for-28 passes for 326 yards and five total touchdowns. This year, he has put up impressive numbers— 2,097 passing yards, 24 touchdown passes, 2 INTs, 516 rushing yards and five rushing scores.

Byrd needs to garner more Division I attention than he’s received thus far. He has an extremely high IQ at the position. His decision-making is mature beyond his age. He makes the simple pass look good and makes the tough throw when needed. Byrd might be the best Franklin QB to play the position since Baylor Romney (2014), who is now a backup at BYU.

In three consecutive weeks, the Sun City featured a representative on the Built Ford Tough Texas High School Football Player of the Week accolade. Two weeks ago, it was Chapin quarterback Mason Standerfer, and last week it was Eastlake's do-it-all man Elijah Uribe.

The Cougars (6-2) continue their quest for a district title when they face Americas on Friday at the SAC (4 p.m.)

Prediction: Franklin 42 - Americas 17

Let’s not forget about Canutillo RB LJ Martin

Last week I had the opportunity to watch Canutillo junior tailback LJ Martin for the second time this year in their 54-10 dominating win against Hanks. It took me back to memories of watching Martin as a freshman play for the Eagles. Each year he keeps getting better and better.

The Eagles, who are atop the 5A-1 standings with a bye this week, will face Horizon next week for the district title. Besides Canutillo’s stout defense that creates a lot of turnovers, you must give credit to Martin for lifting this team to an impressive season.

Martin amassed 377 yards and five total rushing touchdowns, including a 95-yard touchdown, in the win against Hanks last week. He has 1,823 rushing yards on the year with an opportunity to eclipse 2,000 next week against Horizon. If he hits the 2,000-mark, Martin has a chance to finish the season as the city’s rushing leader.

On top of this, the class of 2023 prospect already has garnered Division I offers from the likes of Kansas State, Baylor, UTSA and UTEP.

In recent memory, there are only two backs to surpass the 2K mark and be as highly regarded as Martin—Aaron Dumas (Americas) and Deion Hankins (Parkland). In 2019, Dumas rushed for a city-best 3,189 yards. Hankins put up 2,000 yard seasons through three straight years (2016-19).