The Canutillo Eagles will face off against the Emerson Mavericks at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Canutillo is coming into the game hot, having won their last seven games.
Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Canutillo walked away with it. They blew past Palo Duro 28-7. Considering Canutillo has won seven games by more than 20 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Canutillo's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Rene Huerta, who rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Jeremiah Knox also deserves a shout-out for his two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Emerson earned a 34-24 win over Grapevine on Thursday. Given Emerson's advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 128th, while Grapevine is ranked 296th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Emerson's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Michael Hawkins led the charge by rushing for 213 yards and a touchdown while picking up 11.2 yards per carry. The team also got some help courtesy of Kameron Lockhart, who rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns on only 15 carries.
Canutillo pushed their record up to 9-2 with that win, which was their third straight at home. They've been dominating during the games in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 41 points. As for Emerson, the victory makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 9-2.
