The second season has arrived – the state playoffs for Class 6A Division I. Bi-District kicks off for undefeated Permian and visiting El Paso Eastlake on a Black Cat Friday the 13th. Ratliff Stadium will be the proving ground where legends will be forged and pretenders get exposed.
While the weekly MojoLand Pawview is an objective game preview that’s packed with raw player statistical data and team comparisons, Two Cents Worth focuses on strategies, strengths, and weaknesses. Our panel of sports experts also chime in with their weekly predictions.
In series head-to-head competition, Permian holds a 4-0 all-time perfect record over El Paso Eastlake. This will be the third consecutive time the Panthers and Falcons have met in the first round of the playoffs. Last year, the Black Cats handed out a thorough 59-7 lashing to the El Paso visitors.
Beginning on Thursday night across the Lone Star State, 64 elite teams will take the turf with dreams of advancing to the next round of the 6A Division I playoffs. By next Monday morning, 32 of those teams will be cleaning out their lockers, turning in their pads, and joining a basketball season that has just tipped off. There are no second chances and no margin for error – win and advance, or lose and the season ends.
For Permian, an unblemished 10-0 start means everything is on the line to keep the playoff journey alive, while Eastlake will enter Friday night as a dangerous fourth seed underdog looking to pull off a massive upset with nothing to lose.
🏈 WHEN PERMIAN HAS THE BALL…
Eastlake’s 3-4 front struggles to match up with physical trench play and surrenders 34 points per game. Permian aims to establish ground dominance with its offensive line, allowing the run game to open up deep passing windows.
The Falcons showed structural vulnerabilities against physical rushing efforts like Pebble Hills and El Paso Eastwood. Matching up against a light interior gives Mojo veteran offensive line a massive weight advantage. Expect a heavy dose of inside zone runs with Josh Curry, Cayden Taylor, and Mark Herrera to force linebackers into the box before dialing up play-action strikes by Air Vickers.
The focal point of our pass protection plan will be neutralizing Eastlake’s elite pass-disruptors, senior defensive linemen Noah Andrade and Seven Thrower, who bring mass off the edge and anchor their front. If the Panther offensive line can lock that threat down, Kayden Vickers will have all day to pick apart the defensive backfield.
While secondary ball hawk Nick Pena leads the Falcons with five interceptions, their coverage fractures when forced to hold up under extended play-action. Eastlake also has an elite volume tackler in the secondary in Hector Alvarez. If Mojo maintains discipline and blocks the downhill pursuit of linebackers Zaid Rangel and Carlos Gandarilla, the heavy Permian front will systematically chew up real estate and turn the second half into a classic war of attrition.
👀 Defensive players to watch: Zaid Rangel, Carlos Gandarilla, Jose Olivas, Seven Thrower, Leonidus Silva, Hector Alvarez, and Nick Pena
⚡️ Pawformance Grade: 
(2 paws)
🏈 WHEN EASTLAKE HAS THE BALL…
The Falcons run a high-velocity spread attack led by senior quarterback Julian Williams (1,554 passing yards, 19 TDs) or sophomore backup Johnny Fajardo. Permian’s defense must stay disciplined against the perimeter speed of receivers like Albert Jones and Ethan Rivera while pressuring the pocket.
The entire defensive blueprint rests entirely on which offensive identity rolls out of the tunnel. If senior gunslinger Julian Williams returns from his multi-game injury, the Falcons will instantly look to stretch the boundaries vertically, hunting for deep post routes to feed big-play threat Diego Diharce, who commands a lethal 21.6 yards per catch.
However, if sophomore Johnny Fajardo remains under center, the scheme completely compresses into a horizontal, screen-heavy attack designed to hide his varsity inexperience. Fajardo stands at 5’9″, 145 lbs, and film shows he panics under vertical A-gap pressure.
If the “Mojo D” can choke the perimeter flat zones to trap his screen outlets and flush the sophomore out of the pocket, his internal clock will collapse, turning those quick throws into direct targets for Malachi Mendoza and a hungry Black Cat secondary.
👀 Offensive players to watch: Julian Williams, Johnny Fajardo, Julian Melendez, Brandon Briceno, Albert Jones, Ethan Rivera, and Diego Diharce
⚡️ Pawformance Grade: 
(3 paws)
Eastlake has proven all season that they are slow out of the gate, but have the ability to rebound in the second half and produce points. The Falcons have had success passing twice as much as running the ball.
Due to the uncertainty of which El Paso quarterback will be under center, the “Mojo D” has had to prep with two distinct game plans. Securing the edges against Fajardo’s horizontal bootleg game requires a different leverage than defending Williams’ deep vertical route threats.
With Eastlake having their backs to the wall as heavy underdogs, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Falcons have spent the week trying to integrate both of their quarterbacks into Friday’s game plan. All things considered, Permian will roll to 11-0, securing the Bi-District Gold Ball and advancing to the Area Round of the state playoffs.
The weather conditions are almost ideal for a great night of Mojo Football – kickoff temp of 63° with light winds out of the southeast at 10 mph.
Author: MojoLand Staff
In last week’s picks, Matt Stepp was top prognosticator and right on the money with his Permian +23 prediction, the final was 31-8. Our sports panel overwhelmingly thinks Mojo will continue to roll to 11-O this Black Cat Friday the 13th.
> Matt Stepp (Texas Football mag.) – Permian +31
> Tony Blalock (TXHSFB) – Permian 42, Eastlake 14 (+28)
> Adrian Martinez (MTZ Media) – Permian 49, Eastlake 17 (+32)
> Grabiel Silva (KWES9) – Permian 45, Eastlake 17 (+28)
> Ethan Becker (KWES9) – Permian 38, Eastlake 17 (+21)
> Darby McCormick (CBS7) – Permian 38, Eastlake 17 (+21)
> Dalton Arredondo (KMID2) – Permian 47, Eastlake 6 (+41)
> Trey Francis (KMID2) – Permian 41, Eastlake 7 (+34)
> Griz Merrick (MojoLand) – Permian 45, Eastlake 10 (+35)
> Gem Callahan (MojoLand) – Permian 45, Eastlake 13 (+32)
> Terry Alan (MojoLand) – Permian 52, Eastlake 7 (+45)
= Consensus (11-0) – Permian 44, Eastlake 13 (+31)
Pick ’em Scoreboard – Gem 1 | Darby 1 | Trey 1 | Matt 1
Permian vs Eastlake – [ Player Stat Sheet & Preview ]
