Canutillo football looks to bounce back in 2016

CANUTILLO, Texas – Canutillo football has had its ups and downs the past two years.

In 2014 the Eagles became the first El Paso high school to ever make the state semifinals in 11-man football.

The next year they finished 5-5 and failed to make the playoffs.

“I think it might have been rebuilding. I think it might have been a little hangover. I don’t mean that in a bad way…we lost a lot of players,” said coach Scott Brooks, who was recently inducted into the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame.

Everyone has a down year. Now, the Eagles turn their focus to making the playoffs once again – and who knows what might happen if they get there again?

“It’s a goal,” said Joseph Paz, a senior wide receiver and safety. “We didn’t make it to the playoffs last year, which was a disappointment. But hopefully this year we’ll get lucky and get to the playoffs.”

Despite the 5-5 record last year, Canutillo did win five of its last six games. And coach Brooks believes the team was just a few plays away from perhaps posting eight regular season wins.

“Really, if you look at our record, I think three of the games we lost by one, three, and six,” he said. “You know, we were close.”

Canutillo opens against Socorro on August 25th, as the new Eagles will try to get out of the shadow of the 2014 squad.

“It’s still talked about, but it’s not the gold standard,” said Angel Bernal, a senior offensive tackle. “We want to one-up that team.”