What's trending in El Paso high school football: Playoff berths still up for grabs
The end of the high school football regular season is Thursday and Friday. Here is what is trending headed into the final weekend of the regular season.
Playoffs berths still available
There are some big games this week in multiple classifications in El Paso.
In District 1-6A, Franklin needs a win against El Dorado to secure a spot, otherwise a loss opens the door for Americas if it wins against Socorro.
In District 1-5A Division I, Ysleta and Hanks are both 1-3 in district and face off at Hanks with the winner earning the final playoff berth in that district.
In District 1-4A Division II, Mountain View needs to defeat Pecos on Friday to cause a possible three-way tie for the third and fourth spots. If Pecos beats Mountain View, the Lobos are eliminated. If Clint loses and Mountain View wins, Clint, Mountain View and Pecos are all tied at 2-3 and the tiebreaker will likely go to points since Clint lost to Pecos and Mountain View would own a win against Pecos. Clint defeated Mountain View by one point earlier in the season but lost to Pecos, 33-7.
Eastwood has come a long way
Eastwood started the year 1-2 with losses to Southlake Carroll and Pebble Hills and a win against Las Cruces High. But since then, the Troopers have won six straight entering Friday's home game with Eastlake. A win secures a home playoff game in Class 6A Division II and will tie them with Pebble Hills with one loss in district play. The Troopers are solid in every phase of the game and have really made tremendous strides on defense, special teams and in the run game. They have several players who can make a difference on offense and that will prove to be beneficial in the playoffs.
Pebble Hills earned district title
It wasn't easy for the Pebble Hills football team to finish the regular season 9-1 overall and 7-1 in District 1-6A. The Spartans played 10 straight games without a bye week (their bye week is this week) and handled it well. They had the target of being considered the top team in the city and now the school has its first district championship.
The Spartans, whose lone loss was to Americas, take a hard nosed approach to the game with a talented defense, a run game that has been effective all season long and an offensive line that has been one of the main reasons for the team's success. Head coach Mark Torres was hired in 2014 to lead the program and has had some good teams, but this year's team put it all together.
He's lost some talented assistant coaches to the head coaching ranks but his staff continues to shine. The saying goes "Next player up", well that goes for coaches as well "Next coach up" and his staff has certainly helped make the Spartans the best team in the city this year.
Postseason nears
Next week will mark the start of the high school football playoffs. Last year, Canutillo, Riverside and Eastwood all won a two playoff games last season. Which teams have the best chance to win multiple games in the playoffs this year? All three above teams will be in the mix, Pebble Hills has high hopes for playoff success and can Austin, Chapin or Andress make noise in Class 4A and Class 5A respectively?
More: Andress, Chapin in key matchup High School Football: Andress vs. Chapin is this week's El Paso Times Game of the Week
More: Irvin's Chairez earns award Irvin's Jonathan Chairez is El Paso Times' High School Football Player of the Week
Felix F. Chavez can be reached at 915-546-6167; fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on Twitter
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Playoff berths up for grabs in El Paso high school football
