High School Football Week Two Recap and Rundown

Week two of the high school football season featured exciting games and some surprises across town as teams continue in their non-district schedules.

Hear the recap of the action featuring Beau Bagley, Paul MacKinnon, Adrian Broaddus and the slew of reporters across the Sun City by downloading the Football Friday Night podcast on demand, wherever you listen to podcasts.

LJ Martin helps Canutillo Soar over Coronado, 36-20

By Brandon Cohn

It was truly the LJ Martin show on Friday night in west El Paso as the Stanford commit lead Canutillo to a 36-20 win at Quarles-Brooks Stadium. Martin scored on a spectacular 68-yard TD run in the first quarter as he changed direction to outrun every defender en route to the picture perfect score, one that fans were in awe of.

By halftime the Eagles built an insurmountable 29-7 lead over the T-Birds, thanks in part to Martin’s 3-TD performance. El Paso’s most electric prospect finished the evening with 19 carries for 205 yards. It was an emotional win for Canutillo Coach Scott Brooks as he won at the stadium that bears his late great father’s name; legendary Coronado Coach Don Brooks who passed away in April of 2021.

The T-Birds’ bright spot was RB Cade Little who accumulated 119 yards on 17 carries and scored 1 TD. QB Owen Levesque had a good night on the ground as well with 102 yards.

Next up, Canutillo (1-1) will travel to face winless Austin (0-2) on Friday, while Coronado (1-1) will face Franklin (1-1) at the annual Westside Bowl next Thursday.

Parkland outlasts Austin, 9-7

By David Gest

Senior RB/MLB Jayden Wilson and the Austin Panther’s game plan of controlling the game speed and winning the time of possession category nearly earned a win Friday Night at Matador Stadium.

After trading punts and turnovers to start the game, Parkland starting RB/LB Anthony Carrillo had to exit the game in an arm cast after making a play on defense just before the end of the first quarter. Carrillo had won over the starting running back job this week after posting 161 yards on the ground and 47 through the air to go with two scores in week one’s 35-27 loss to El Dorado.

Senior Isaiah Beasley, last season’s starting tailback had 1,400-yards and 14 touchdowns a year ago began the night as the starting slot receiver. He stepped in to replace Carrillo on Parkland’s next possession.

Parkland turned to the passing game with QB Erik Ortiz. Jayden Wilson abruptly stopped a Parkland drive in the red zone with an interception then finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to put Austin up 7-0 with 3:26 remaining in the first half.

There were only two possessions in the third quarter. Parkland committed Isaiah Beasley on the ground the start the second half and as he went for over 40 yards on five carries but once again turned the ball over on downs. Austin ran out the rest of the quarter with a long drive that ended in a punt that pinned Parkland close to their own goal line.

QB Erik Ortiz jump-started a 90-yard drive with a 17-yard first down run on a third-and-long. Ortiz later connected with Junior receiver Fabian Cervantes for a 5-yard score to get Parkland on the board with 8:48 to play in the 4th quarter but they still trailed 7-6 after a failed extra-point attempt.

Both teams again exchanged turnovers until Parkland took over inside their own 20-yard line with 1:17 to play and no timeouts. QB Erik Ortiz orchestrated a 65-yard drive to set-up Senior kicker Adrian Loya for a game-winning 25-yard field goal to give Parkland their first lead of the contest and a 9-7 win just before time expired.

Parkland improved to 1-1 while Austin fell to 0-2 to start their 2022 campaigns. Parkland’s first-year head coach Leigh McWhorter gathered his first career win and will look for number two next week at Burges (0-2). Austin will host the Canutillo Eagles (1-1).

Eastwood puts on aerial display against Las Cruces , 63-35

By Steve Escajeda

Evan Minjares threw for 427 yards and seven touchdowns to help lead the Eastwood Troopers (1-1) to a 63-35 blowout of the Las Cruces High Bulldawgs (0-2) at Troopers Stadium.

Eastwood raced out to a 28-0 lead early in the second quarter and never looked back.

Minjares, a junior, completed 13 of his 16 passes and also scored a rushing touchdown.

Receivers Curtis Murrillo and Michael Caldera combined to catch five of Minjares’ seven scoring tosses.

Murrillo caught four passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns including a 96-yard bomb. Caldera finished with four grabs for 126 yards and three touchdowns.

Max Mancilla added to the Troopers’ cause with 89 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Though the Bulldawgs were thoroughly trounced, they did receive a strong performance from running back David Barela, who rushed for 198 yards and three touchdowns.

Eastwood, which finished with 623 yards of total offense, returns to action this Friday for a 4 p.m. start at the Socorro Student Activities Complex against powerhouse Pebble Hills.

Franklin blows past undermanned Andress, 42-0

By Adrian Broaddus

It was a field day for the Franklin Cougars as they rolled over Andress in their home opener, 42-0. Quarterback Shay Smith totaled five touchdowns for Franklin, including four passing touchdowns and a rushing score. Wide receiver/safety Beau Sparks was all over the field, catching a pair of touchdown passes from Smith and also snagging a pair of interceptions on defense.

The Golden Eagles, who were without standout ATH Malcolm Anderson, were reliant on quarterback Elias Duncan and wideouts Shawn and Isaiah Owens on offense. The Franklin defense and depth proved to be too much for the Golden Eagles.

Up next: Franklin (1-1) will face Coronado in the West Side Bowl, while Andress (0-2) searches for its first win of the year against Del Valle on Friday.

All The Big Moments From UTEP Football's Win Over Bethune-Cookman

The UTEP Football team defeated Bethune-Cookman 38-28 last Saturday night to start the 2021 college football season with a 2-0 record for the first time in 16 years.

Source: High School Football Week Two Recap and Rundown