2023 West Texas Team Preview: El Paso Americas
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<p><strong>El Paso Americas 2023 Preview</strong></p>
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<p><strong>Head Coach</strong>: Noe Robles </p>
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<p><strong>Mascot</strong>: Trail Blazers </p>
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<p><strong>Twitter</strong>: @Coach_NoeRobles; @AHS_BlazerFB </p>
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<p><strong>Colors</strong>: Red, Gold and Blue </p>
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<p><strong>2022 Record</strong>: 5-5 (5<sup>th</sup> In District) </p>
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<p><strong>Overview</strong>: Soon after Americas finished fifth in its district and failed to make the 6A playoffs, the Trail Blazers and long-time head coach Patrick Melton parted ways. Former Eastlake defensive coordinator Noe Robles was hired in January as the new AHS head coach. Fortunately, Robles has a dynamic and highly productive dual threat quarterback in 6-foot-2, 205-pound senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='618282' first='Mark' last='Moore III']</strong>, who threw for 1,282 yards, rushed for a team-high 1,016 yards and accounted for 17 touchdowns as a junior in 2022. He possesses a strong throwing arm, plenty of speed and physical toughness.</p>
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<p>Senior running back <strong>Brian Promesse </strong>shared the ball-carrying load with Moore in 2022, rushing 85 times for 638 yards and 3 TD. Together, Promesse and Moore combined for 1,654 rushing yards last season and should again be the top two rushers for Americas. Promesse has enjoyed a sensational offseason and the Trail Blazers believe he will continue to open eyes. Sophomore (2026) <strong>Cam'ron Johnson</strong> will be the No. 2 running back and is expected to contribute heavily to Americas' ground game this season.</p>
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<p>The Trail Blazers ran the ball about 60 percent of the time last season, but with a talented receiving corps coming back, that run-pass ratio could inch closer to 50-50. It all depends on the defensive looks as the Trail Blazers will gladly take what the defensive gives them. After finishing with a team high 52 receptions for 825 yards and 6 TD in 2022, senior WR <strong>Anthony Miranda</strong> will again be the top target in the passing game.</p>
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<p>Pound-for-pound, Miranda might be Americas' best player. He also plays safety on defense. Senior <strong>Omarion Dumas</strong> returns as well after catching 20 passes last fall. Beyond Miranda and Dumas, Americas will be looking for some new receivers to step up in 2023. Junior <strong>Abdiel Rincon</strong> is a speedy slot receiver. His production should increase dramatically over last season. </p>
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<p>Americas must rebuild the offensive line and hopes some young blockers are ready for the Friday Night Lights. Senior <strong>Josiah Morales</strong> is the lone returning starter. Promising sophomore <strong>Omar Velez</strong> should earn a starting job. Junior <strong>Gabriel Salcido</strong> is the center. </p>
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<p>Defensively, Americas will switch to a 3-4 base scheme after years of utilizing the 4-3. They will mix in a 4-2-5 as well. Senior DE <strong>Timothy Galloway</strong> anchors the defensive line after leading the Trail Blazers in tackles for loss (13.0) and sacks (11.0) with 5 QB hurries in 2022. Galloway is a playmaker. The nose tackle will be junior <strong>Stephen Gutierrez</strong>, who had 51 tackles and 3 sacks last season. The linebacker corps will be spearheaded by junior <strong>Marco Vazquez</strong> (switching from DE to LB), senior <strong>SaDante Gomez-Scott</strong> (team-leading 118 tackles in 2022) and senior <strong>Matthew Lugo</strong> (40 tackles in 6 games last season). They should flourish in Americas' new system.</p>
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<p>In the secondary, safeties <strong>Mario Holguin</strong> and <strong>Alex Ortiz</strong> are returning starters. <strong>Andres Hernandez</strong> returns at cornerback. Miranda and Dumas will play DB as well but will likely focus most of their energy on the offensive side of the ball. <strong>Felipe Aguilar</strong> aims to earn a starting job.</p>
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<p><strong>Schedule</strong>: Americas opens the season in New Mexico against Las Cruces at Field of Dreams before playing three of the next four games at home. The district, as always, presents a major challenge. </p>
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<p>Aug. 24 at Las Cruces (NM)(Thur.)</p>
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<p>Aug. 31 ODESSA (Thur.)</p>
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<p>Sept. 8 MONTWOOD*</p>
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<p>Sept. 15 at Franklin*</p>
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<p>Sept. 22 EASTLAKE*</p>
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<p>Sept. 29 at Pebble Hills*</p>
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<p>Oct. 6 EASTWOOD*</p>
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<p>Oct. 12 at El Dorado* (Thur.)</p>
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<p>Oct. 20 CORONADO*</p>
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<p>Oct. 27 Bye</p>
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<p>Nov. 3 at Socorro*</p>
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<p>* District Game </p>
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<p><strong>Coach's Comments</strong>: “Coming over from Eastlake, Americas was always a dangerous tough, physical team that ran the ball down people's throats. But for whatever reason, we've come up short the last three years. We're still building the relationships. Not having a coach for a few months took a toll on the kids. It's coming along nicely. It's not where we want it to be, but the kids are working hard. The first thing I did when I got here was meet with the players by classification and then individually. I shared my vision. Eventually, the kids started seeing it was different, but it's a good different. The kids are smiling a lot more. . .I can't say enough good things about Mark Moore, not just as a football player but his character, his persona and his hard work. He makes all the throws we're asking him to make. We're blessed to have him at the quarterback position.” – El Paso Americas head coach Noe Robles.</p>
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El Paso Americas 2023 Preview
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