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District 1-6A Season Preview

district 1-6a preview El Paso high school football

 

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The ever-competitive El Paso district got a little bit smaller this year as El Dorado and Americas dropped down to 5A.

However, expect the battle for playoff spots to still be fierce, especially after three programs missed the playoffs last year with overall records of .500 or better.

Here’s what to watch for in District 1-6A.

El Paso Coronado Thunderbirds

Head Coach: Mike Pry (3rd season; 8-12 record)

Last Season: 5-5; 4-4 in district

Coronado Key Players and Storylines

Coronado hasn’t made the playoffs since 2018, but it finished last year scorching hot, winning their last four district games. Two of their four district losses were by five points or less, so they were agonizingly close to snapping that drought.

They’ll hope to get over the hump with junior quarterback/athlete Ben Wilson  (610 passing yards, 488 rushing yards, and 157 receiving yards) leading the way. He was a jack-of-all-trades for the Thunderbirds a year ago and earned the district’s Offensive Newcomer of the Year award. The Thunderbirds also have a stud coming through their pipeline in freshman quarterback West Elisala Stansbury.

Out at receiver, Cason Golding should play a big role in the passing attack. He was Coronado’s second-leading receiver a year ago.

Defensively, Coronado returns its top three tacklers from 2023 in linebackers Thibaut Spilliaert (71 tackles), Scott Strachan (67 tackles), and Mariano Fernandez (64 tackles). Lucas Gonzalez is a player to watch in the secondary.

Coronado has a good core back, especially defensively in 2024. The key will be getting off to a quicker start this fall after coming so close to the postseason a year ago.

El Paso Eastlake Falcons

Head Coach: Ruben Rodriguez (6th season; 33-18 record)

Last Season: 5-5; 3-5 in district

Eastlake Key Players and Storylines

Eastlake missed out on the playoffs for the first time since its inaugural season in 2012. That won’t sit well with the Falcons.

They should be a motivated group this year with eight starters back on offense and five on defense.

Luke Lomeli (1,824 passing yards and 20 touchdowns) will be a veteran leader for the offense as he heads into this third-year as the starting quarterback. He has a stud leading the receiver group in Juan Solis (494 receiving yards and four touchdowns). Solis will go both ways for the Falcons this fall.

Up front, Armando Morales is another three-year starter who should anchor the offensive line.

And there’s two more three-year starters on defense. Dominic Soto (100 tackles) is “great in coverage”, while fellow senior defensive back Chris Garcia (86 tackles) should contribute on both sides of the ball.

Up front, head coach Ruben Rodriguez is expecting big things from sophomore defensive lineman Andrew Flanagan, who should be a “force on the line of scrimmage.”

The Falcons have a ton of experience back this fall. Not only do they expect to return to the playoffs this year, but Rodriguez hopes their veteran leadership will help them contend for a district title.

El Paso Eastwood Troopers

Head Coach: Julio Lopez (10th season; 63-35)

Last Season: 9-2; 8-0 in district (Lost to Frenship in bi-district)

Eastwood Key Players and Storylines

Eastwood has really hit its stride under the leadership of Julio Lopez. The Troopers have won at least seven games in each of the past four years, earning outright district titles in two of those seasons.

Last season, the Troopers relied on a high-flying offense that averaged over 45 points per game.

Much of that unit will have to be rebuilt this season, especially with star dual-threat quarterback Evan Minjarez now playing for Army.

Jayden Martinez (277 rushing yards and three touchdowns) is the leading returning rusher from a year ago. Receiver Fabian Penaloza (462 receiving yards and five touchdowns) is the only one of Eastwood’s top four pass-catchers from 2023 that is back. He should be a handful for opposing secondaries.

Opponents will also have to be weary of tight end Alex Sanchez. He is very much a threat in the passing attack after leading the Troopers with eight touchdown receptions last season.

The defense struggled at times a year ago, including giving up 87 points to Frenship in its bi-district game.

It’ll help that they’ll have a force of the edge in Jonathan Hernandez (52 tackles, 13 TFLs). He was the district’s Defensive Newcomer of the Year last season. Junior defensive back Jayden James and senior defensive lineman Konrad Joseph-Garcia are also back after earning second team all-district honors a year ago. James is a ballhawk who brings plenty of versatility for the Troopers. He will also play some receiver this season.

There’s a lot of work to be done for Lopez and his staff with the production they must replace from a year ago. But with the consistency this Trooper program has shown the past four seasons, expect them to still be in the playoff mix.

El Paso Franklin Cougars

Head Coach: Daren Walker (18th season; 114-67 record)

Last Season: 6-4; 4-4 in district

Franklin Key Players and Storylines

The Cougars were a casualty of the competitive nature of District 1-6A a year ago. Despite their 6-4 finish, they still came up a game short of the playoffs. It was the first time they hadn’t gone dancing since 2017.

Last year’s district Offensive Athlete of the Year Shay Smith graduated, so Franklin will be settling in a new starter at quarterback this year. Whoever does take over that role will have their blindside well-protected. Junior tackle Justin Morales has been attracting attention from Division I programs after earning first team all-district honors a year ago.

When it comes to skill positions, junior running back Atreyu De la Riva (565 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns) is coming off a promising 2023 campaign. Senior Kyler McDavitt (193 receiving yards and one touchdown) appears to be the next man up at receiver after two of Franklin’s top four pass-catchers graduated.

On the other side of the ball, expect to hear the names of linebackers Joseuberto Bondoni-Gomez (56 tackles, three TFLs), a junior, and Jose Holguin (96 tackles) a lot. They were two of Franklin’s top tacklers in 2023. Bondoni-Gomez has been making plays since he was a freshman for the Cougars.

McDavitt (46 tackles, one INT) was also a key player in the secondary for the Cougars a year ago along with Ramon Gonzalez (39 tackles, one INT).

The Cougars have a good foundation to build on defensively, which will be important as they replace much of their offensive production from a year ago. If they can successfully settle in a new quarterback, they will expect to be right back in the playoff mix again this season.

El Paso Montwood Rams

Head Coach: Ivan Rangel (2nd season; 5-6 record)

Last Season: 5-6; 5-3 in district

Montwood Key Players and Storylines

Montwood broke through with its first playoff berth in three years a year ago. Now head coach Ivan Rangel is hoping this program can become a playoff regular like it was when it made the playoffs 19 times in 22 seasons from 1996-2017.

This year’s team will rely on its defense, at least early on in the year, with eight returning starters.

Safety Christian Saenz has good instincts and is “a great tackler,” while linebacker Derric Rojas reads the game well. Both started every game last year for the Rams.

Defensive tackle Nicholas Hinojo brings “an attitude to the defense,” with his play up front.

And talking about playing with an attitude, Jayden Myers should bring some nastiness to the offensive line. He is one of Montwood’s five returning starters on offense.

The Rams don’t have a single player with a passing yard returning from last year, while their top five receivers also graduated.

Aiden Banuelos (115 receiving yards and one touchdown) and Adrian Cortinas will be expected to step up in the receiving core. Banuelos has good hands and will bring good leadership to the unit while Cortinas, a junior, is a “big play threat.”

Rangel has been encouraged by the way his players have bought into Montwood’s program. He believes this year’s team has the potential to be even better than last year’s squad as long as that buy-in remains strong this fall.

El Paso Pebble Hills Spartans

Head Coach: Ryan Warner (1st Season)

Last Season: 8-3; 6-2 (Lost to Odessa Permian in bi-district)

Pebble Hills Key Players and Storylines

Pebble Hills underwent a coaching change this offseason for the first time in program history.

With Mark Torres departing to take over at Buda Hays, the Spartans hired Ryan Warner away from Chapin. Warner had led the Huskies to the playoffs in all of his four years at the helm.

The Spartans have made the playoffs in each of the past three years, and they’ll look to keep that streak alive this year with four starters back on offense and six returning on defense.

Warner and his coaching staff believe they have “the best defender in far west Texas” in linebacker Dorian Jaramillo. He finished with 121 tackles and six sacks a year ago. Ball hawk safety Cezar Perez (68 tackles, four interceptions) and sophomore cornerback Omarion Wallace will hold down the fort on the back end.

Pebble Hills should also make some noise up front with defensive linemen Jelan Parra (48 tackles and four sacks) and defensive end Jose Cortez (44 tackles, two sacks).

Offensively, the Spartans will lean on bell cow running back Zereian Quarles (1,128 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns). Wallace will go both ways (430 receiving yards and four touchdowns) and should pair with with Jaden Gutierrez (243 receiving yards) as options in the passing attack.

Pebble Hills does have to replace UNLV quarterback Gael Ochoa and some players along the offensive line, so they’ll need their skill position guys to hit the ground running this fall.

However, with Quarles leading the offense and Jaramillo anchoring the defense, the Spartans have star players to lean on in crunch time as they look to contend for a district title.

El Paso Socorro Bulldogs

Head Coach: Eddie Cano (3rd season; 0-20 record)

Last Season: 0-10; 0-8 in district

Socorro Key Players and Storylines

The Bulldogs will be looking to snap a 27-game winless streak heading into this fall.

They have some experience to rely on behind center as they go in search of that breakthrough. Quarterbacks Antonio Montes (884 passing yards and six touchdowns) and Trevante Thrasher (689 passing yards and four touchdowns) both saw substantial reps a year ago.

They’ll need senior receiver Jacob Gonzales (424 receiving yards and five touchdowns) to have a big season this year. He’s the only one of the Bulldogs’ top four pass-catchers back from a year ago.

Defensively, the Bulldogs have key players back at all three levels. Safety Derek Lerma (108 tackles) was Socorro’s primary playmaker on that side of the ball a year ago. He can both lock down the back end and come up and stop the run. Roman Alvarado (75 tackles, four TFLs) is back at middle linebacker, while Matthew Avila (51 tackles, three TFLs) and Eder Hernandez (35 tackles, six TFLs) will be threats off the edge from their defensive end positions.

As the Bulldogs head into their third year under head coach Eddie Cano, they’ll hope their experience from the past two seasons pay off as they look to close the gap on their District 1-6A rivals.

 

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