Ranking District 1-6A by Returning Offensive Production

District 1-6A is always an absolute gauntlet in football around the borderland, with powerhouses such as Eastwood, Pebble Hills, Eastlake, and Franklin always battling it out. Last season, Eastwood took the crown, going undefeated in district play and winning a district and bi-district championship. The Troopers return playmakers like QB Kingston Jeffries, RB Matthew Ramirez, and WR Jordan Nava and will certainly be the favorites to repeat in 2026.

But that begs the question: Who else is back in district 1-6A?

Today we will look over the amount of production that returns to each offense in 1-6A. For the sake of this list, only skill position players (QB, RB, WR) will be counted. We know how big of a difference the big guys upfront play, but downs played stats are not easily accessible at this level. Our rating system will take into account games played, yards gained, touchdowns scored, and games won by each player. Remember, this is not a power ranking or season prediction, just a ranking of production that returns, via our rating system.

Here we go!

Franklin WR Santiago Perez is one of the only returners for the Cougars. // Photo by Zay Galindo

7. Franklin Cougars

Ernie Powers broke the single-season rushing and rushing touchdown city records this past season, totaling a monstrous 3,341 yards on the ground and 51 TDs. He is now off to the next chapter of his career at Navy. This alone drops the Cougars’ returning production rating significantly. It also doesn’t help that Franklin loses starting QB Lucas Garza (WNMU signee) and backup RB Atreyu De La Riva, who totaled over 500 rushing yards last season. Only 16% of their total offensive yards return. It’ll be a new era in west El Paso.

6. Coronado Thunderbirds

Down the street from the Cougars, their rivals Coronado are also turning the page. Starting QB West Stansbury is headed to Santa Margarita Catholic High School in California, while ATH Ben Wilson begins his college baseball career at NMSU. The do-it-all Wilson led the T-Birds in rushing and finished second in receiving. Former Austin HS star RB Sal Duarte IV missed last season with an injury, so his return will be big — as will the return of WR Christian Frescas, who led the team in receiving. Nonetheless, Mike Pry will have his work cut out for him replacing Wilson and Stansbury.

5. Montwood Rams

Out on the eastside of El Paso, the Montwood Rams will look to rebound from a disappointing 1-9 campaign. Moving the ball wasn’t a problem for Ivan Rangel’s squad, as they averaged an impressive 465 yards per game. The loss of senior QB Damian Briano will certainly hurt, as he lit up the stat book with 3,400 yards and 40 TDs, leading the city in both categories. His go-to guy, WR Adrian Cortiñas, is also gone after a 1,162-yard season. RB Gene Palmer is back after a strong junior campaign in which he topped 500 rushing yards. WR Miguel Esqueda is also back as one of the most productive returners in the city. Losing the city leader in passing is never easy, but the return of Palmer and Esqueda eases the blow for Montwood.

Socorro prepars for its game against Bel Air. // Photo by Zay Galindo

4. Socorro Bulldogs

Socorro is still on the hunt for its first non-COVID district win since 2012 (Socorro won a game in 2020 via forfeit when they beat Americas). They’ve taken some big steps toward that goal the past couple of years, winning their most games in a two-year stretch since 2015-2016. They return a few key pieces, none bigger than RB Adrian Hunt, who recorded 1,165 yards on the ground while adding 13 total touchdowns. It seems like Isaac Anaya will be the guy under center after he split snaps with outgoing senior Antonio Montes last season. Nevin Vale, their leading receiver, is also back. Head coach Edward Cano has done a great job at one of the toughest jobs in the city, and with a flurry of key returners on the offensive side of the ball, we could see the Bulldogs take an even larger leap this season.

3. Eastlake Falcons

QB Julian Williams came over from Horizon last season and won the starting job for Eastlake. He’s back as one of the top QBs in the city. He led the Falcons in both passing and rushing. As for who will join him in the backfield as a true RB, Zeke Herrera returns for his senior campaign after rushing for 519 yards while splitting carries last season. With receivers Ethan Rivera and Jordan Reveles back, Eastlake returns nearly 80% of its production from last season.

Pebble Hills WR LJ Bailey already has multiple division one offers going into his junior year. // Photo by Zay Galindo

2. Pebble Hills Spartans

Whenever you return your starting quarterback, your top three leading rushers, and two of your three leading receivers after a successful year, expectations will be high. Ryan Warner and his Pebble Hills squad will enter 2026 with real hopes of knocking off Eastwood to claim the District 1-6A crown. They have a strong argument for it on paper, but of course, these games are played on the field. Regardless, QB Joe Fernandez is now a senior with two years of starting experience under his belt. He also led the team in rushing last season. He’ll have a great stable of receivers to throw to, including WR LJ Bailey, who led the Spartans in receiving. RB Zepheian Moon suffered an injury that kept him out for roughly half the season last year, but when healthy he put up 510 yards at 7 yards per carry. It’ll be a tall task to knock off the number one team, but they’ll certainly be in contention for a district title.

Eastwood QB Kingston Jeffries will look to lead his squad to another district championship this season. // Photo by Zay Galindo

1. Eastwood Troopers

The Troopers actually have less true returning production in yardage, touchdowns, and games played in the skill positions than Pebble Hills. But that is not all that goes into the formula. The most important stat is winning, and the Troopers did a lot of that last season. The return of QB Kingston Jeffries is the first key piece back for Julio Lopez’s squad. The now-senior star went down with an injury heading into the playoffs but returns fully healthy for 2026. In the backfield, Matthew Ramirez is back after rushing for 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns. He and dual-threat Jeffries combined for over 1,600 rushing yards last season. The Troopers’ leading receiver, Jordan Nava, is back as well. Backup QB Bently De Vries will make the move to receiver, as the Troopers will lose two of their top three receivers from last year. Regardless, when it comes to skill positions, the Troopers’ mix of experience, production, and overall talent edges them out over Pebble Hills. Riding an eight-game winning streak against El Paso-area teams, the Troopers will enter 2026 as the favorites in District 1-6A.