Week 4 is a unique time in the world of Texas high school football. Several teams have the week off, including all of Districts 1-6A and 1-5A in El Paso. District 2-5A will have games this week and there is still a lot to analyze with most teams having three games under their belts.

Here’s what to watch for in Week Four in El Paso.

Pebble Hills is ready for 6A

Starting off your season 3-0 would mean a lot to a coach and team, but for head coach Mark Torres and the Pebble Hills Spartans, it means to continue to work and perfect their team. Torres and his team truly embody the “back to work” mentality after each win.

Backtracking to the start of the season, not many would have favored the Spartans against the likes of Andress and Chapin, both of which beat out Pebble Hills last season.

This season, Pebble Hills rolled over Andress 34-13 and Chapin 31-14 in back-to-back weeks. Quarterback Orlando Puig looks sharp, already passing for 571 yards, while standout running back Caleb Gerber totals 442 yards on the ground with four total touchdowns.

Their balanced attack mixed with their stoeck attitude on the gridiron has been what looks most impressive. It’s evident that Torres’ team has an entirely new face this season, and they are ready for 6A competition.

Expect Torres to use this bye week to improve what’s already been working, stretch the balanced offensive attack and clean up minimal mistakes on defense.

Bel Air is off the slump and preparing for District 2-5A

After being dominated in their rivalry game against Eastwood 67-21, the Highlanders returned to week three away at Canutillo. Most critics believed Canutillo would easily roll over the Highlanders, but Bel Air had a different response.

They beat out Canutillo in their home 55-34 to earn their first win of the season. Under head coach Tony Cervantes, the team had been hungry for their first win and they looked like they shook off the early woes experienced at the beginning of the season.

Starting outside linebacker Patrick Hernandez leads the entire district in tackles with 45 total tackles on the season. He has totaled five tackles for losses, a sack and a forced fumble.

They will be heavily tested this Friday against a tough Parkland team.

Andress needs this bye week

In their bye week, the Andress Eagles are in need of a much-needed facelift. Entering this year as one of the city’s most sought after team, the Eagles fell short of expectations in the past two weeks.

In two favored matchups, they dropped a 34-13 loss to Pebble Hills and a 10-3 loss to Coronado.

Fortunately for Andress, they may be able to regain their confidence with their next five games. They will take on El Paso High, Bowie, who shouldn’t be taken lightly, Irvin, Jefferson, Burges and Austin as their next six games before they play the likes of Chapin for their final game. Fortunately for the Eagles, the hard part of their schedule is out of the way and now they have to look forward to staying fundamentally sound in district play.

Hanks becoming the dark knight

Yes, it’s a long-shot, but the Hanks Knights have a team that turns more heads than their awesome pearly black jerseys. After being dominated against Andress 65-10 in week one, the Knights came back and won back-to-back scrappy victories against Ysleta and El Paso High.

Their dual threat quarterback Austin Guerrero is what makes their team such an underrepresented threat in 2-5A. Guerrero has made plays through the air and he’s also able to tuck it in and make plays on the ground. He’s accumulated 740 yards of passing for five touchdowns. On the rushing end, he’s brought 245 yards and a pair of touchdowns on his feet. His only weakness seems to be decision making, as he already has three interceptions, but you can expect head coach Aaron Price, son of UTEP’s former coach Mike Price, to rectify that come week four.

Their schedule on paper looks pretty unfavorable to remain undefeated in district, playing the likes of Canutillo, Parkland and Riverside. However, if they can snatch a close game against Canutillo or Parkland and stomp on Riverside, that could give them the much needed confidence to play the likes of Del Valle, Bel Air and Eastlake later on.

Not guaranteeing a playoff berth by the Knights, but don’t keep your eye off them.

Editors Note:  This Sunday, officials at FEMA announced they are bracing for a recovery effort they expect to take years.  Since the storm, we have been amazed and comforted by the selflessness of countless individuals and organizations stepping up to provide assistance. Unfortunately, this storm’s damage is a long way from over.

To put in perspective, The JJ Watt Foundation which raised $37 million, which is no doubt one of the most amazing fundraising efforts we have ever seen!  However, that is just .029% of what FEMA estimates is needed for the recovery of Texas over the next several years.

With the recent devastation in Texas and Florida our country is in need of “all” of us who can to step up in any way possible. We at TexasHSFootball are starting our own fund raising efforts with our footb“ALL” campaign. Below you will see a link to our gear store where you can purchase a t-shirt or hoodie.

TexasHSFootball.com will donate 100% of its earnings from this online store to the American Red Cross. Our goal here is to raise $10,000 for families in need.  Please visit the link below, grab a t-shirt or hoodie and help us reach our goal.

Faith, Family, Footb”ALL”.

 

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