El Paso high school football teams have chance to make big impact this week
Week 2 of the high school football season is here and there are plenty of storylines. Here are a handful of items to look forward to this week.
Big test for El Paso schools
Americas, Eastlake and Montwood all face big challenges in the Sun City this week. Americas started well with a road win at Las Cruces High and faces a stern test against Odessa High at the SAC on Thursday night. Odessa High features standout wide receiver Ivan Carreon, who has verbally committed to Oklahoma.
Montwood faces San Angelo Central on Friday at the SAC in a rematch of last year's barnburner in which the Bobcasts won, 52-49. The Rams are looking to rebound after last week's road loss to Midland High.
Eastlake will entertain New Mexico power Rio Rancho on Friday at the SAC in a rematch of a close game last season in which the Rams won, 13-7.
All three schools have an opportunity for wins against quality teams before starting district play.
Parkland has chance for 2-0 start
The Matadors earned a nice road win against El Dorado in the season opener, holding off the Aztecs, 26-22. This week, the Matadors face another stern test at Austin. A 2-0 start would be huge for a team that graduated a great deal of star power on offense from last year's team.
El Dorado vs. Chapin will be key
El Dorado and Chapin both lost close games last week and face each other on Friday in what should be an entertaining game. This is a big game for both teams in terms of gaining momentum for the rest of the season. Both teams are well coached and have enough talent to have successful seasons.
Can Hanks keep it going?
The Knights were impressive in dismantling Bowie last week, now they are home this week against El Paso High. The Knights showed plenty of offensive firepower in winning against Bowie, scoring 56 points. The key for Hanks will be showing consistent improvement moving forward under first-year coach Scott Veliz.
Can Coronado take next step vs. Canutillo?
The Thunderbirds have improved under second-year coach Mike Pry and his staff. On Friday against one of the city's power brokers, the Canutillo Eagles, Coronado has a chance to show how far they have come. Canutillo has a chance to win double digit games in 2023 and have postseason success in Class 5A. And the Eagles nearly upended Pebble Hills last week.
If Coronado, which beat Chapin last week in the season opener, can upset the Eagles or give them a close game throughout, the Thunderbirds can use that as a springboard for the rest of the season.
More: El Paso HS football news Pebble Hills wins 24-21 against Canutillo in dramatic fashion
Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on Twitter
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Five storylines in El Paso high school football entering Week 2
