Friday night’s matchup at Trooper Stadium was an important one for both teams that took the field. The visiting Socorro Bulldogs were seeking their first victory of the season, as they came in with a humble 0-6 overall record and are 0-4 in District 1-6A.
On the other side of the field, the hosting Eastwood Troopers looked to continue their winning ways in District 1-6A, as they came in with a squeaky clean and perfect 4-0 District record. The Troopers’ only loss of the season came in their season-opener when they faced Texas perennial powerhouse, Southlake Carroll.
The first score of the game did not take very long to occur. With less than two minutes into the contest, Eastwood struck first with a 31-yard Evan Minjarez to Ramon Languana connection for a Touchdown to make it 7-0, Troopers. The Bulldogs did their best to bite off as much time as possible, but were not able to put up any points in the 1st Quarter. However, with a little over 2 minutes remaining in the opening quarter, Eastwood’s Maximus Mancilla had a bolstering 20-yard Touchdown run to put the Troopers up, 14-0.
Eastwood continued their rout in the 2nd Quarter when Evan Minjarez found Fabian Penaloza for a 76-yard explosive Touchdown pass to make it 21-0, Troopers. Socorro’s sole score of the ball game came with 4:48 before halftime when Adrian Acosta found paydirt to cut the Eastwood lead, 21-7. With not even a minute elapsing, Eastwood made it known that they would not let their foot off the pedal when Minjarez found Rudy Garcia for a 31-yard Touchdown pass to give the Troopers the 28-7 edge.
The Troopers wanted to ensure their starters got their last plays of the game in the first half in emphatic fashion, as they had one more score before halftime with a 12-yard Minjarez to Offensive Guard, Justus Urbina, Touchdown pass. The entire Eastwood team and crowd went crazy for Urbina, as the whole 60-man Trooper team smothered him in hugs and high fives when he went to the bench after his big touchdown reception.
With less than 2 minutes into the 3rd Quarter, Minjarez had his last Touchdown pass of the game before he went to the bench for some rest, when he found Alex Sanchez for a 24-yard Touchdown pass to put the Troopers up, 42-7. The Troopers scored once more in the 3rd Quarter and had a pair of scores in the closing quarter – with a 7-yard run by Armando Gonzalez and a 6-yard Darian Diaz to Evan Macias Touchdown connection – as the Troopers celebrated their dominant and statement-making victory with a resounding final score of 63-7.
The Socorro Bulldogs remain winless for the season, as they dropped to 0-7 overall and 0-5 in district play. Next week, they will host the El Dorado Aztecs. The Eastwood Troopers remain the only unbeaten team in a tough District 1-6A, as the Montwood Rams lost a close game against the Pebble Hills Spartans on Friday night. The Troopers improve to 6-1 overall and 5-0 in district play.
Next week, they will have a District 1-6A showdown and what many are considering a matchup to determine the District 1-6A championship, as they will play the Montwood Rams at the SAC.
Story by Paul David Oliver