Canutillo can’t wait for
The number of fans watching Friday’s State Class 5A semifinal game between Canutillo and Ennis went from a few thousand to possibly hundreds of thousands with news that ABC-7 is carrying the game.
It’s one thing to carry the hopes of a small town like Canutillo, but now the Eagles know they are carrying the hopes of the entire city of El Paso which will be watching closely on Friday night.
“That’s great,” said Canutillo senior wide receiver Ben Galaviz. “I just want to thank (ABC-7). That means a lot to us for people who can’t go to the game. It’s really nice to know they’re going to be watching us and supporting us.”
Televising the Canutillo and Ennis state semifinal was the idea of ABC-7 General Manager Kevin Lovell.
“I was raking the leaves in my backyard on Sunday afternoon and then it struck me, ‘Why is the game not on TV?'” Lovell said. “Perhaps we can get it on the air.”
Broadcasting the game is not a money-making venture for ABC-7, but it fell in line with Lovell’s love for high school football.
“I love high school football, I follow it closely and I know the significance of Canutillo in being the first 11 man (University Interscholastic League) team ever from El Paso to reach the state semifinals. We’ve got to do everything we can to get it on the air and we’re gonna do it.”
“It feels good,” said Canutillo senior quarterback Javier Gomez. “The people that can’t go to the game, they can watch it and support us here. And other schools can see we can make it that far and to motivate them and it will motivate younger kids to work even harder.”
Added senior offensive lineman Jonathan Vogt: “It’s good to see that not only are we representing our city, but now the whole city gets to see us.”
Lovell said that’s what it’s all about.
“What I like about El Paso is when one school does well and the others have been eliminated from the playoffs, the entire city backs, gets behind Canutillo,” Lovell said. “Go Eagles! Doesn’t matter if you’re from the Lower Valley, Upper Valley, Northeast, Central … It makes no difference. Go Canutillo!”
