A week is underway into the high school football season and there have already been interesting upsets and madness. Follow 600 ESPN El Paso all evening for live scoring updates of all the scheduled games. Beau Bagley and Paul MacKinnon are back hosting Football Friday Night, and they will have a special preview of the evening before Chihuahuas baseball.
Follow @600espnelpaso for live updates throughout the night.
600 ESPN El Paso Reporter Schedule:
Last night:
In a back-and-forth contest, Hanks came into the SAC and upset Americas, 38-37, thanks to a last-second two-point conversion for the win.
Following a forced safety, Heber Lopez scored on a 26-yard jet sweep to put Hanks up, 30-21 in the third quarter. Then, Americas forced a safety and scored back-to-back touchdowns to take the lead, 37-30. A late touchdown by the Knights and the two-point conversion to seal it ended up being the difference.
Canutillo is continuing their dominance to start the season with a swift 29-0 shutout win against Montwood. They've stormed through two 6A teams in Pebble Hills and the Rams and haven't allowed their opponents to score yet in two weeks of football. ATH Eduardo "Lalo" Carrillo led the way for the Eagles with a pair of touchdowns against the Rams—one rushing, the other on a nice 41-yard pass from quarterback Matthew Gasca.
Game of the night: Del Valle at Franklin
The battle of possibly the two top teams from their respective districts will clash in far west El Paso as Franklin (6A) hosts Del Valle (5A) for a key non-district matchup.
The Cougars (1-0) managed to put together a swift victory against Chapin last Saturday, 56-14. They were led by their stout run game, as junior Ernie Powers amassed 136 yards on 14 carries with three touchdowns. Junior quarterback Lucas Garza did everything he needed to do in the win, completing 6-of-7 passes for 72 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore wide receiver/corner Santiago Perez also contributed to the receiving game and tallied an interception on defense. Senior ATH Jason Villagrana had a catch, a pair of rushes and an interception on defense too.
Del Valle was idle last week due to the weather canceling their home opener against Montwood. The Conquistadores are no stranger to success, however. They are coming off a 9-2 season in 2023, where they finished 5-0 in district play. They return two of El Paso's top college prospects—junior quarterback Jake Fette (13 touchdowns as a sophomore) and senior athlete Manny Fuller (89 yards per game, 10 touchdowns last year).
This should be a fantastic game, but I'll roll with the home team.
Prediction: Franklin 35 - Del Valle 17 (Adrian Broaddus, 600 ESPN El Paso)
Dark horse game: Midland at Pebble Hills
The Midland Bulldogs boast UTEP commit Elijah McCoy, who rushed for 204 yards and two touchdowns in their first game. Meanwhile, Pebble Hills is looking to bounce back after their 7-0 loss to Canutillo last week. They have something in sophomore quarterback Joe Fernandez. He struggled to connect with his receivers against the Eagles last week, but as the season develops, I think he will be able to showcase his gunslinging abilities. Linebacker Dorian Jaramillo (two sacks at Canutillo) will need to have a big game in order to keep the Spartans competitive.
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Best of the rest: Permian (1-0) at Eastlake (1-0); Chapin (0-1) at Eastwood (0-1)
Though the Huskies fell short at Franklin last week, it will be interesting to see how Chapin tries to fend off another tough 6A opponent in Eastwood. The Troopers are back from their trip to California, where they played national power St. John Bosco and lost 71-14.
Eastlake is coming off a crushing 62-7 victory against Bel Air. The Falcons bring back a ton of experience to their roster this year. Meanwhile, MOJO just beat Plano, 13-10, in a tight game. This could be a slow, grind-out game for the Falcons who have an opportunity to get a quality non-district win on Friday.
Football Friday Night airs weekly detailing the best up to the minute score updates and highlights of high school football in West Texas. Tune in to host Beau Bagley, Paul Mackinnon and a dozen reporters on 600 ESPN El Paso via radio or web streaming link. Airs every Friday 5:30pm-6:30pm for the pregame show, then at 7:00pm or following the Chihuahuas broadcast.