Week 4 Concho Valley HS Football Preview

SAN ANGELO, TX — Another exciting week of Texas high school football is upon us.  Central has to travel across the country to El Paso, but besides that most schools are staying in the area. There are also several matchups between undefeated teams that will help separate the real contenders from the pretenders.  Take a look at the action below.

SA Central at Pebble Hills (Friday at 5:00 CDT, 4:00 MDT)

Central will try and get things back on track in its last tune up before district play starts next week.  The Spartans are no slouch and are 2-1 so far. Their only loss was a 43-42 defeat on the road at Midland.  In that game, senior quarterback Sebastian Ochoa threw for 346 yards and 4 touchdowns while adding 110 yards and 2 scores on the ground.  Pebble Hills will go as far as Ochoa can take them. He is a quick, agile runner and has weapons on the outside to help him. The Bobcats will have to contain 6’3 receiver Isaiah Davis for chance to pull this one out.

Lake View vs. Fort Stockton (Friday at 7:00)

Both teams are undefeated and have impressed fans early this season.  Fort Stockton allowed only 14, 6, and 7 points in its victories, but the Panthers have not faced a team with the explosiveness of Lake View.  Offensively, the Chiefs have a strong line that buys time for QB Rodriguez and opens lanes for running backs Anthony and Rudy Martinez. It is a tough assignment for any defense to cover the Lake View receivers for as long as its offensive line can block.  No receiver is out of range for Rodriguez, and they could have a field day at home. Fort Stockton defeated Kermit 34-14, Alpine 21-6, and Riverside 38-7. 

Eldorado at Iraan (Friday at 7:30)

The Eagles bounced back last week and defeated Brackett 46-22 at home.  This week, they will visit a struggling Iraan team. The Braves have given up a combined 193 points while scoring only 26 themselves.  Eldorado should have no problem improving to 3-1. Quarterback Kevan Covarrubiaz exploded for 517 yards and 4 touchdowns against Brackett and already has over 1,100 yards on the season. 

Christoval at Cross Plains (Friday at 7:30)

Another battle of the unbeatens will take place in Cross Plains on Friday.  Both teams have handled their competition easily.  Christoval has outscored its opponents 130-14 while Cross Plains did so 151-19.  Quarterback Brayden Wilcox has been the player to stop for the Cougars. The junior racked up 125 rushing yards against Harper, 181 against Grape Creek, and 282 last week against Van Horn.  His best passing performance came in the opener where he went 6-12 for 187 yards. 

Wall vs. Sonora (Friday at 7:30)

We will head back to Wall this week to cover the undefeated Hawks.  Sonora comes in 2-1 after being shutout at home to Mason, 33-0. It is easy to use the Mason games as a predictor of what will happen in this one, but it likely won’t turn out to be a Wall blowout.  The teams are very similar to each other, and Sonora’s run game will try and wear down the talented Wall defense. The Hawks have won back to back games with their defense carrying the way. The offense relied exclusively on big plays against Midland Christian and will need to work on becoming more consistent as the season progresses.

Mason vs. Jim Ned (Friday at 7:30)

Mason will make its return to the Puncherdome after the week one loss to Wall.  Since that game, Mason hasn’t allowed a point. Jim Ned, similarly, hasn’t allowed a point all season.  On the other side of the ball, Jim Ned’s offense poses a challenge. Against Merkel, Indians quarterback Dylan Martin completed 14-15 passes for 251 yards and 3 TD’s.  The backs added 251 rushing yards and three scores. Mason will have to limit big plays defensively to have a chance. 

Water Valley vs. Ira (Friday at 7:30)

Ira has steamrolled its opponents on its way to a 3-0 record.  The Bulldogs have allowed only 7 points while putting up 176 of their own.  They are currently 8th in Dave Campbell’s Class 1A D1 rankings. Water Valley is also 3-0 after holding off Zephyr 56-48 last week.  The Wildcats will have to play a near perfect game to keep their streak alive.

Miles vs. Era (Friday at 7:30)

The Bulldogs have cruised to a 3-0 start to the 2019 season.  Last week, QB Davian Martinez led the charge with 118 yards passing and 173 rushing.  He accounted for five total touchdowns. Junior Brayden Dunlap added 136 yards and two scores on just 13 rushing attempts.  Miles should get the victory.  Era is still looking for its first win of the season. The Hornets lost to Lindsay 52-0, Sacred Heart 36-12, and Chico 34-12.  

*TLCA (0-3), Ballinger (3-0), and Grape Creek (1-2) are all off this week with an early season bye.