By Jonathan Conners

11/12/2025

PLAYOFFS ON THE DOCKET

District 2-6A Preview

UIL football playoffs are set and ready to launch the quest for greatness.  Who will come out on top will be determined in the next 6 weeks. 

Eastlake (El Paso) @ Permian

This will be a rematch.  Eastlake (5-5, 3-3) traveled to Odessa on September 4th of this year for a game that ended in a Permian (9-1, 5-0) victory 27-12. They also met twice in 2024, with Permian winning both, the all-time series favors the Panthers 3-0.

The Eastlake Falcons struggle with stopping the run — opponents are averaging 216 yards per game on the ground. They will have to find a way to slow down senior RB #18 Gavin Black, who ran up 177 of the 195 yards given up in the previous matchup.  He averages 119 yards per game with a total of 14 touchdowns.

Eastlake will also have to rely on better QB play.  Junior QB #3 Julian Williams averages 219 yards passing per game and has racked up 23 touchdowns with only 6 interceptions.  However, 2 of those interceptions and none of the touchdowns were against Permian.  Williams also boasts 665 yards and 7 touchdowns rushing the ball. 

The El Paso school runs a spread offense that focuses on quick passes, read options, and motion.  This spread allows for Williams to find opportunities to make plays.  Their main receiver this season has been senior WR #1 Junior Trotman with 835 yards receiving and 7 touchdowns. 

Permian plays well in the defensive backfield but also struggles with the run, allowing an average of 205 yards rushing per game.  This leaves opportunity for not only Eastlake’s Williams but also senior RB #9 Derrick Holguin, who has 8 touchdowns and 581 yards rushing on the season. 

Last season, after defeating Eastlake, Permian lost to eventual 6A Division 1  champion North Crowley.

The winner of this game will play the winner of Euless-Trinity (8-2, 6-2) @ Lake Ridge (Mansfield) (8-2, 5-1). 

Franklin (El Paso) @ Legacy (Midland)

Legacy will host Franklin in a rematch from both last year and 2022’s first round of playoffs.  The Rebels hold the 2-0 edge over their western neighbors. 

The Cougars rely heavily on the running game — 65% of their plays from scrimmage are running plays.  They operate a pistol offense that hinges on read-options, motion, and misdirection.  Their main back is senior RB #4 Ernie Powers, who has offers from D1 schools such as Navy, Air Force, and UTEP.  His stat line looks like something out of a video game with 52 touchdowns, 273 carries, and 3,341 yards rushing.  He accounts for 61% of Franklin’s total offensive yardage and 94% of their scoring. 

This bodes a daunting task for the Rebels’ defense.  The unit has averaged yielding 175.8 yards per game to opponents.  However, the past 2 games have improved dramatically.  They outperformed Midland High’s run dominant team and held them to 93 yards.  Last week, Odessa only attained 14 yards rushing. 

Franklin has struggled against the pass, even in victories.  Their defense averages surrendering 232.9 yards per game in the air.  In their 2 losses, they gave up 2 of the 3 highest totals of their season — Del Valle (El Paso) passed for 358 yards and Eastwood (El Paso) put up 338.  The only matchup in which they allowed more than 300 yards and still came out on top was against winless Montwood in a 84-49 victory.  Franklin conceded 469 yards passing in that game. 

The Cougar defense, which allows an average of 28 points per game, will have to contend with another strong QB connection.  Junior QB #4 JP Reyes has 2,500 yards passing on the season with 20 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.  Reyes has a trio of receivers that can do serious damage — sophomore WR #17 J’Braylan Anders, senior WR #1 Caden Ellis, and senior WR #5 Jermaine Laster.  This group accounts for 70% of Reyes’ passing yards and 85% of his touchdown passes. 

Reyes overcame a rough start to the season, which featured several teams in contention for the state championship.  In 3 of the Rebels’ 5 wins, he has tossed over 300 yards with two 400+ games.

Last season, after defeating Franklin, the Rebels fell to Euless-Trinity the following week.

The winner of this game will play the winner of Keller (5-5, 4-4) @ # 6 North Crowley (9-1, 6-0).  North Crowley is defending 6A Division 1  champions.

Pebble Hills (El Paso) @ San Angelo Central

The Pebble Hills Spartans (7-3, 4-3) will make a 6-hour drive to take on the Bobcats of San Angelo Central (7-3, 3-2).  They met 3 times previously, with the advantage in all three going to the Bobcats.  They played each other in 2018 and 2019 in the regular season, while 2017 was a playoff matchup. 

Their one mutual opponent of the season is Midland High.  Pebble Hills beat the Bulldogs 13-12 in week 2, while San Angelo Central hosted their game in week 9 and won 34-17. 

The Spartans operate with a dual threat QB.  They run an offense that is parallel to Eastlake — a spread offense with motion, read options, and quick passes.  This allows junior QB #1 Joe Fernandez to make plays.  Fernandez leads Pebble Hills in passes and rushing.  He has 1,719 yards passing with 21 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.  He also has 586 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns. 

San Angelo has struggled most with the pass on defense, averaging 245 yards relinquished per game.  This includes a season high of 478 to Legacy’s JP Reyes and 320 to Permian’s Jakob Garcia.  They have been effectively able to stop the run with a 120 per game average.  This includes holding Permian’s Gavin Black to 54 yards and a negative yardage game against Belton.  Their season high, 269 yards, was given up to Amarillo in their first game. 

This alludes good news for the Bobcats as the Spartans slightly favor the run over the pass.  Their play-calling split is 54% run and 46% pass.  They average 173 yards rushing and 197 yards passing. 

The Concho Valley Cats have to contend with a stout Pebble Hills defense — a balanced crew with an average concession of 140 yards passing and 152 yards rushing, only giving up an average of 11.9 points per game.  The Pebble Hills defense is led by senior DE #99 Jelan Parra, who has accumulated 9 sacks, 12.5 hurries, and 59 tackles. 

This challenge falls on junior QB #4 Micah Smith.  Smith has 1,795 yards passing with 21 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.  His battery mates have been sophomore RB #21 Zeyvion Johnson and senior WR #12 Colton Hill.  Johnson has 12 rushing touchdowns and 769 yards, while Hill has racked up 50 receptions for 697 yards with 9 touchdowns. 

Last year in the playoffs, Pebble Hills succumbed to Midland High in the first round 42-14.  San Angelo missed the playoffs the past two seasons. 

The winner of this game will play the winner of Crowley (3-7, 2-4) @ # 1 Southlake Carroll (10-0, 5-0).  Southlake Carroll is the runner up from 2024, falling to Vandegrift in the finals.

Frenship (Wolfforth) @ Eastwood (El Paso)

Eastwood looks for redemption with their home game against Frenship.  The Frenship Tigers (4-6, 2-3) own the all-time series 2-1 and the Troopers (9-1, 6-0) are looking to even the score.  The last meeting between the two was during the 2023 playoffs and Frenship walked away with the victory.  They also split a home and home in 2014 and 2015. 

Both teams defeated their only mutual opponent, Odessa High.  Eastwood hosted the Bronchos on September 12th, while Frenship traveled to Ratliff on October 24th. 

Eastwood runs a spread offense with favoritism towards the run — 61% of their plays feature the run.  Their offense is run by dual threat junior QB #8 Kingston Jefferies.  He has 519 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns. Their main back is sophomore #25 Matthew Ramirez, who sports 1,016 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns.  He has been platooned by senior RB #20 Nathanael Chavira, who has 5 touchdowns. 

This is favorable for the Frenship defense who has been rugged against the run this year, only relinquishing an average of 148 yards and no more than 200 yards in 3 games.  They lost 2 of those 3 games, with the most they gave up being 354 to Midland High. 

The Frenship defense is led by senior LB #27 Noah Lopez, who has 96 tackles on the season with 7 being for a loss.  He has teamed up with senior DE #12 Hudson Page who has been instrumental in stopping the run with 19 tackles for a loss.  He also adds 9 sacks and 55 tackles.

On the offensive side, Frenship will face a pass defense that only gave up 200 yards 4 times this season and averages surrendering 162 yards per game.  One of those games was against St. John’s Bosco (CA), the #1 team in the country.  For a team with 60% passing plays, this will pose a quagmire. The other challenge the Tigers will face is the absence of senior WR #7 Chase Campbell.  The Texas Tech commit has not seen the field since a first half injury against Legacy (Midland).  Even after missing 3.5 games, he is still leading the team with 889 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. 

Tiger QB #2 Quaid Ferris found other means to score, utilizing senior #1 Hayden Wilson more often in Campbell’s absence.  Wilson averages 86 yards per game and a total of 4 touchdowns. 

Last season the Tigers defeating Montwood (El Paso) in the first round before succumbing to 6A Division II runner up Southlake Carroll.  Eastwood missed the playoffs last season and was their first time missing out since 2016

The winner of this game will play the winner of Mansfield (5-5, 4-2) @ # 17 Byron Nelson (8-2, 7-1).

Upcoming Games - November 14th

Pebble Hills (El Paso) @ San Angelo Central 

Frenship @ Eastwood (El Paso)

 Franklin (El Paso) @ Legacy

 Eastlake (El Paso) @ Permian