El Paso's Ruben Torres finding success with Marlin High School football program

In his first season at Marlin High School, El Paso's Ruben Torres is making an impact as a coach.

For the first time in 15 years, Torres has guided the Bulldogs to the third round of the playoffs after his Bulldogs defeated Lindsay, 48-7, in Class 2A Division I area round game on Friday.

The 9-3 Bulldogs play Tolar on Friday in Alvarado with a chance to advance to the regional finals.

Torres is a former head coach at El Dorado and Ysleta in El Paso and a former assistant coach at Franklin. His brother, Mark, is the head football coach at Pebble Hills. As head coach at El Dorado and Ysleta, his teams made four playoff appearances. He is a graduate of Irvin High School.

"The kids have done great and have worked hard," Torres said. "It was a new coach and new system they had to get used to, but they kept learning, kept wanting to get better. We have great kids here and we have six freshmen starting so this is a great experience for them. We have great community support and that's been huge. We had seven road games this year and the community follows us and gives us a lift. I learned so much from the coaches in El Paso and I've brought with me what I have learned. I'll always say that coaches in El Paso are among the best in the state, they have a great deal of knowledge and great work ethic."

For Torres, he's had to learn a great deal about a new region of the state and new teams he has to face each week.

"It's been a lot of work and lots of new things to learn, but it's been great overall," he said. "My staff has done a great job and we had to learn about each other as well. So much was new, but now it's paid off. We're doing really well and we're hopeful that we can keep this momentum going."

More: Three El Paso teams still alive in UIL football playoffs

Felix F. Chavez may be reached at 915-546-6167; fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso's Ruben Torres finding success with Marlin High School