The most anticipated game of the season finally arrived. All season, the Coronado student body had been waiting for homecoming, an ongoing tradition to appreciate the football team. This year’s homecoming game took place on Friday, Oct. 25 at the Brooks Quarls Stadium.

The homecoming game is a big deal for the Coronado football team since it is most highly attended game in the entire season. On Friday, the Thunderbirds faced off against the Socorro Bulldogs.

Going into the game, the Thunderbirds were 1-6 overall and 0-2 district. However, they were predicted to beat Socorro since they have a record of 0-7 overall and 0-2 district. Coronado has also beaten Socorro in the past.

“So far we have done well, but I think we can do better,” defensive end Connor Fraker said prior to the game. “We have a good time this year, and I really think we can do better for the rest of the season.”

Coronado recently played the Franklin Cougars at the Westside Bowl. This game was a stride for the Thunderbirds because they were able to outscore the Cougars up until the fourth quarter. But in the end, the Thunderbirds ended up losing 28-14.

“The Westside Bowl was a really good game,” Fraker said. “I was really proud of my team and how we performed against the [one of the] best team[s] in El Paso.”

Coronado also had the help of senior standout Ben Carney on their side. Carney is the returning quarterback for the team and has completed impressive stats so far in the season. During the Westside Bowl match against Franklin, Carney scored one touchdown and threw 237 yards for the Thunderbirds.

“I’m just really excited for the rest of the season and hope to do better as a team and as a player,” Carney said.

Another Coronado standout is safety and wide receiver Davis Burns. Burns averages an impressive 13 tackles per game and has landed the title of being 13 in the state for the most tackles. Burns is a senior, like Carney, and has already been receiving offers to go play in college.

Last year, Coronado won their homecoming game against Canutillo on Sept. 28, 2018.

Continuing their triumphant legacy, the Thunderbirds completed a sweep against Socorro for a final score of 63-7. It was an impressive game for the Thunderbirds: every quarter, the team was able to intercept the ball from Socorro before successfully running it back to the end zone. Key players from the game included Ben Carney (quarterback), Charlie Samaniego (running back and linebacker), Garrett Levesque (wide receiver), Davis Burns (wide receiver), and Jake Cox (tight/defensive end). This game added the first win to the Thunderbird’s district play, giving them a record of 1-2 and overall a record of 2-6.

The victory placed the Thunderbirds into fourth place in the district, behind Franklin, Montwood, and Americas. As of right now, the Thunderbirds are expected to go to the state playoffs, since the top four teams of every district qualify. However, the team is hoping for another win to better their chances of doing well in the playoffs.

This Friday, Nov. 1, the Thunderbirds will play against the best team in the district, Americas. Their football team has a 3-0 record after wins over Franklin and Montwood. The game will be played away at the Trailblazers’ stadium at Americas High School.

Best of luck to the Thunderbirds; we hope to see another win!