District 1-6A play gets underway this week, and you won’t find many games better to kick things off than Eastwood and El Dorado. Both teams had high expectations coming into the season and each have done well so far, starting 2-1. In last year’s game, Eastwood pulled away for a 62-35 win over the Aztecs and both teams will bring some explosive offenses on to the field Thursday at the Socorro ISD Student Activities Complex (SAC).
After putting up a good fight against Odessa Permian, the Troopers get a stiff test right off the bat to start district play. This time around, they may not have starting quarterback Seth Ochoa to lead them, as he is questionable after leaving the game with a reported knee injury. The Troopers still have lots of weapons to go to in receivers Robert Minjarez, Evan Graham, and Ryan Barnhouse. In the running game, sophomore running back Noah Rios will have a bigger role after a 100 yard rushing performance against Mojo. Look for either Darius De Anda or Evan Aguilar to step up in this game at quarterback after getting play time at Odessa Permian.
As for the Aztecs, their confidence is high coming off their bye and from their last game when they stuck 62 points on the board against Midland Lee. Quarterback Cedarious Barfield is a dual threat option for an El Dorado offense averaging 632 yards per game. Like Eastwood, the Aztecs also have a lot of go to playmakers on the outside in wide receivers Jacob Hernandez (17 catches, 456 yards, and 2 touchdowns) and Washington State commit Tyquez Hampton, a big 6’2” receiver that has caught two touchdown passes in each of the last two games.
Two weeks ago, Parkland and Eastlake from 5A combined for 109 points on the very same field that Eastwood and El Dorado will play on so the new scoreboard at the SAC could be tested yet again. Ultimately, this game could come down to who can make the big stops on defense. Both teams have been a little inconsistent at times, but they’ve each had games where they’ve needed to make a big stop with the game on the line.
