2023 West Texas Preview: EP El Dorado Aztecs
EP El Dorado 2023 Preview Head Coach: Frank Martinez Mascot: Aztecs Twitter: @ELDO_FB; @Coach1Martinez Colors: Cardinal, Gold & Black 2022 Record: 5-5 Overview: After finishing with a .500 record and falling short of the playoffs in 2022, EP El Dorado…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingEP El Dorado 2023 Preview
Head Coach: Frank Martinez
Mascot: Aztecs
Twitter: @ELDO_FB; @Coach1Martinez
Colors: Cardinal, Gold & Black
2022 Record: 5-5
Overview: After finishing with a .500 record and falling short of the playoffs in 2022, EP El Dorado aims to finish in the Top 4 of District 6A-1. With a talented, young and elite running back, they just might do it. Yeah,
Ryan Estrada
Ryan
Estrada
5'11" | 170 lbs | RB
El Paso Dorado | 2026
State
TX
is very good. As a freshman in 2022, he rushed for 1,326 yards and 13 TD on just 127 carries (10.4 yards per attempt). But he’s coveted by Power 5 schools because he can catch the ball out of the backfield and is a good blocker. Baylor and Texas Tech have already offered along with UTEP, SMU and UTSA. Estrada still has THREE more high school seasons left, so he could become a national prospect by the time he’s a senior in 2025.
Who will be the No. 2 RB? After all, getting through an entire season with just 1 running back is nearly impossible. Rising senior Albert Rabb appears to be the choice but he’s coming off an injury that limited him to 7 games and 19 carries a season ago. He could play slot receiver as well. Rising junior DaTavion Williamson will compete for the job after an outstanding spring.
While Estrada returns, the Aztecs lost dual threat quarterback Quincy Estrada to graduation. He threw for 1,115 yards and rushed for 1,006 yards in 2022, giving the Aztecs a pair of 1,000-yard rushers, a rarity in Texas high school football. Rising junior Elijah Issa, last season’s backup, will be the Aztecs’ new starting QB. Like Estrada, he’s a dual threat signal caller.
Ryan Estrada
Ryan
Estrada
5'11" | 170 lbs | RB
El Paso Dorado | 2026
State
TX
was also El Dorado’s leading receiver in 2022, and the next pass catchers after him were seniors, so the Aztecs will rely on a new group in 2023. Rising senior Devin Rubio, who played both at WR and DB in 2022, is a candidate. He runs track and possesses plenty of speed, allowing him to stretch the field. Rising junior Diego Carrasco had just 5 receptions in 2022 but he averaged 35.4 yards (!) per reception and scored 2 TD.
Returning starters Alexander Kimba, Gabriel Terrazas and Tanner Ragan will anchor the offensive line. Kristen Anguiano got playing experience as a sophomore in 2022 and the Aztecs are looking for him to make the leap to a starting job. Rising junior Jonathan Pule Jr. is raw but has enormous size and potential.
Defensively, rising senior Deaven Medina (36 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 3 QB hurries) spearheads the defensive front seven from his nose tackle spot. He is fast, strong and athletic. Median has been offered by three D2 programs, including Eastern New Mexico and New Mexico Highlands. Rising junior David Martinez led the Aztecs in tackles last season with 128 as a safety. This season, he will move to MIKE linebacker, putting him squarely in the middle of the El Dorado defense. Rubio and Carrasco are two-way standouts, giving the Aztecs a fearsome foursome on defense.
2023 Schedule:
Aug. 25 EP PARKLAND
Sept. 1 at EP Chapin
Sept. 7 EP EASTLAKE (Thur.)*
Sept. 15 at EP Pebble Hills*
Sept. 22 EP EASTWOOD*
Sept. 29 OPEN
Oct. 6 at EP Coronado*
Oct. 12 EP AMERICAS (Thur.)*
Oct. 20 at EP Socorro*
Oct. 27 EP MONTWOOD*
Nov. 2 at EP Franklin (Thur.)*
* District Game
Coach’s Comments: “We had a very good spring practice. We were able to identify some kids for depth. We have a solid No. 1 group but it was good to see other guys step up. We now know we can throw them into the fire when we need to and they’ll be able to hold their own. . .Elijah Issa is a leader for us now. He played a lot for us last year at receiver and defensive back. We wanted to get him on the field. And he was able to get some experience at quarterback. He’s been doing a great job all spring and summer. He’s very strategic. . .The awesome thing about Ryan is that he’s also our best receiver. He has great hands and he runs great routes. He’s being recruited as both a running back and a receiver because of his ability to catch the football. That opens up our playbook to isolate him and move him around. We don’t want the defense just loading the box on him. Handing the ball off to him is definitely a major part of our playbook” – El Paso El Dorado head coach Frank Martinez.