Montwood is preparing for their first district matchup of the season on Friday. They will challenge the Eastlake Falcons at 7:00 p.m. Montwood is looking for their season's first victory.
Montwood is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Midland on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Rams were beaten by the Bulldogs 70-35. While losing is never fun, the Rams can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 651st, while the Bulldogs are ranked 217th).
Miguel Esqueda
| 09/05/25 @ Canutillo | 179 |
| 09/11/25 vs El Dorado | 140 |
| 09/19/25 vs Midland | 113 |
| 08/29/25 vs Del Valle | 24 |
Montwood might have lost, but man, Damian Briano was a machine: he threw for 256 yards and four touchdowns, and also rushed for 92 yards and one score on only 11 carries. Briano has been hot recently, having posted four or more passing touchdowns the last three times he's played. A healthy portion of Briano's aerial production (113 yards to be exact) went to Miguel Esqueda, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Eastlake, who bounced back after a loss on the road two weeks ago. They blew past Rio Rancho 51-28 last Thursday.
Montwood better keep an eye on Julian Williams. He was instrumental in Eastlake's win, rushing for 96 yards and a pair of TDs on only 12 carries, while also throwing for 172 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Williams' longest rush was for an impressive 56 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Another player making a difference was Zeke Herrera, who rushed for 124 yards and one score while picking up 7.8 yards per carry.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Eastlake was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 471 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since the start of last season.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Eastlake's defense and their three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Ezekiel Cisneros, Damian Villalobos, and Andrew Flanagan, who each picked up one sack apiece. David Estrada was another major factor on D, making six total tackles and snagged two interceptions.
Eastlake's win was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 2-2. The home victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 46.6 points over those games. As for Montwood, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-4.
The upcoming matchup will be a clash of competing strengths. Montwood has relied on air attacks this season and has averaged 273 passing yards per game. Eastlake, on the other hand, has relied on a stout run game: they average 241 rushing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Montwood came up short against Eastlake in their previous matchup back in September of 2024, falling 36-32. Thankfully for the Rams, Luke Lomeli (who threw for 271 yards and three TDs) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
