EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The week five 9 Overtime Game of the Week will feature two of El Paso’s most historic teams going head-to-head. El Paso High and Austin will face off against each other at R.R. Jones Stadium for the 93rd edition of the “Battle of the Claw” on Friday.
El Paso High (2-2), led by head coach Ray Aguilar Jr., head into Friday night’s game with some positive momentum. The Tigers have strung together two straight wins after they beat San Elizario, 37-0, on Sept. 8 and Fabens, 26-8, last Friday.
The Tigers have gone to Martin Gonzalez at quarterback. So far this season, per maxpreps.com, Gonzales has completed 42 of his 72 passes, has collected 490 passing yards, and two passing touchdowns. Junior running back Christopher Valenzuela leads the Tigers’ run game with 557 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns in four games played. Wide receivers Pablo Gonzalez and Santiago Gonzalez have been the go-to guys in the pass game.
On defense, the Tigers have three players that have totaled up more than 30 tackles so far this season. Manuel Chairez (37 total tackles); Damian Rivas (35 total tackles); and Edgar Garcia (34 total tackles) lead the defense.
Austin (1-3), led by head coach Eric Pichardo, snapped a three-game losing streak after it grabbed a 20-19 win over Hanks last Friday. That was the Panthers’ first win of the 2023 season and will aim to grab another one come Friday night.
Austin’s run game has been a big source of its offensive success. Running back Ruben Bustillos leads the team in rushing yards (302) and total touchdowns (3). Jerimiah Parrish also contributes to the run game, rushing 128 yards on 25 carries so far this season.
Austin quarterback Anakin Torres is also a threat on the ground as he has recorded two rushing touchdowns. When it comes to the pass game, Torres has completed 23 of his 43 passes for a total of 347 passing yards in four games played.
Austin and El Paso High will clash at R.R. Jones Stadium at El Paso High School on Friday, Sept. 22. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. MT.
Tune into 9 Overtime that night at 10:15 p.m. with Colin Deaver, Sam Guzman, Ed Stansbury, Jason Flores and Andy Morgan for highlights of that game and many more.
