El Paso Eastlake (6-2, 5-1) vs El Paso Pebble Hills (8-1, 6-1): The 1-6A title is on the line this week as Socorro ISD rivals Eastlake and Pebble Hills hook up in a massive Thursday showdown in the Sun City. Eastlake had last week off after their offense was stuck in neutral in a 26-12 loss to El Paso Franklin two weeks ago. Pebble Hills took on Franklin last week and the Spartans had no troubles with FHS in a dominant 34-14 victory. QB Gael Ochoa ran for a touchdown and threw for another score, while RB Jacob Ledesma ran for two scores. RB/LB Bobby Deal ran for a touchdown and also had an interception on defense for Pebble Hills as it was a complete effort in the victory. Pebble Hills stubbed their toes a few weeks ago and since that point, PHHS has been playing elite level football, the Spartans close the regular season in style with a dominant win. Stepp’s Pick: El Paso Pebble Hills by 14
DeSoto (7-1, 5-0) at Duncanville (7-0, 5-0): Old rivals Duncanville and DeSoto meet up once again and this series in recent years has flipped totally to the side of Duncanville as they’ve won the last four meetings, the last DeSoto win over Duncanville came in 2016 when now offensive coordinator Todd Peterman was the head coach at DeSoto. Two of those wins for Duncanville have come in the regional finals the past two seasons, that won’t happen this year as DeSoto is bound for the Division II bracket so when it comes to playoff positioning this game doesn’t mean a ton, but don’t tell that to these two teams! DeSoto got off to a bit of a slow start last week against struggling Cedar Hill, but the Eagles woke up in the second half, pulling away for a 45-20 win. DJ Bailey threw for 298 yards and three touchdowns, while talented sophomore Deondrae “Tiger” Riden ran for 75 yards and three touchdowns to pace the rushing attack. Duncanville has been their usual dominant selves in district play, save for one half against Waxahachie. The Panthers dispatched of winless Dallas Skyline with ease last week, blasting the Raiders 63-0. QB Keelon Russell threw for 228 yards and four touchdowns for Duncanville, while the Panthers defense limited Skyline to a single first down and one total yard, that’s right, one yard of offense. DeSoto’s skill talent is second to none, the Eagles have the playmakers to beat Duncanville, but Duncanville’s edge has been up front, they’ve physically won the battle in the trenches during this winning streak. If DeSoto wants to get that win and announce themselves as the best team in DFW they’ve got at least play Duncanville to a stalemate up front, but that’s easier said than done. Stepp’s Pick: Duncanville by 6