El Dorado defeats Russellville in 6A-West action on the road.
RUSSELLVILLE - What was supposed to be a showdown for second place turned into a quick, mercy-rule victory Friday as El Dorado blitzed Russellville 35-7. The Wildcats shut down the Cyclones’ offense while piling up 467 total yards as they improved to 8-1 overall and 5-1 in 6A-West play.
Russellville dropped to 4-5, 3-3.
The victory sets the Wildcats up for the postseason.
“I think this locks up the two seed, no matter what, which means we’ll be at home for the playoffs until the semifinals and we’ll get a bye, which is awesome. You’ve got to earn those,” said El Dorado coach Scott Reed, who picked up his 100th victory with the Wildcats.
Russellville, known for going for it on fourth down, didn’t have that opportunity for most of the night. The Wildcats kept the Cyclones penned on their own end of the field throughout the first half. Russellville crossed midfield just once in the opening two quarters.
"It was awesome. We couldn't have exe-
cuted a plan any better," said Reed. "We either had them backed up so far they didn't want to (go for it) or we had them in fourth-and-long. We created a lot of lost-yardage plays on them. Our (defensive) line sacked 'em a number of times. We did not let them run it. We played really well defensively."
El Dorado quarterback Darius Holly completed 11-of-18 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns. The senior also rushed six times for 69 yards and two touchdowns. Perhaps the suddenly, chilly weather could be blamed for about three other near-miss touchdown connections in the passing game.
"We had a lot of chances. It was the first time we played in cold weather. It was a little damp at times. But, I thought they handled it well. No turnovers, which is awesome," said Reed. "We made enough plays to get away from them. I thought, execution-wise, we did a good job of handling their blitz. Darius stood in and threw it well, even though he got hit some. He did a good job.
"We just missed a couple. I think we had one drop that would've been a big touchdown, probably. A couple of them we just missed overthrowing. But, the execution was good. The kids played really hard. I think we took another step forward, which is good."
El Dorado, which built a 28-0 halftime lead, held Russellville without a first down in the opening quarter. El Dorado dominated the half, accumulating 321 yards while holding Russellville to just 55. The Wildcats had 14 first downs to just two for the Cyclones.
The Wildcats took the ball first and marched 80 yards down the field. The payoff came when Holly, on play-action, hit a wide-open Keshun Greene for a 23-yard touchdown pass. Greysen Hubbard hit the PAT for a 7-0 lead with 10:27 left in the first.
El Dorado’s defense forced a pair of punts and stopped the Cyclones on fourth down.
The Wildcats’ offense found paydirt again when Holly, on third-and-short, busted loose for a 43-yard touchdown run off a quarterback sneak. The PAT pushed the lead to 14-0 with 10:05 left in the second.
After another defensive stop, the Wildcats scored again when Holly found the end zone after a 7-yard touchdown run. Hubbard added the PAT for a 21-0 lead with 4:32 left in the half. El Dorado tacked on another score before the half when Holly capped a drive with a 15-yard touchdown strike to Evan Chandler. Hubbard’s kick pushed the margin to 28-0 with nine seconds left in the opening half.
El Dorado’s defense stopped Russellville to begin the third. The Cyclones punted to the Wildcats’ 12. El Dorado then drove 88 yards with Holly hooking up with Taliq Ellis for a 64-yard touchdown. Hubbard’s kick extended the lead to 35-0 with 7:44 left in the third, triggering the mercy rule.
Russellville avoided the shutout against El Dorado’s reserves. Rhett Adkins scored on a 2-yard run with 2:13 left in the fourth. Connor Cooper added the PAT.
For the second week in a row, the Wildcats' offensive line was shuffled. Friday night, sophomore Thomas Crawford started at right tackle in place of Jeremy Boone, who was out with an illness.
"For his first start, he played really well," said Reed. "Jeremy Boone had been sick all week. He had been really good all year at right tackle. We had hoped we wouldn't have to play him tonight. He dressed and was ready to go but we didn't have to play him. Offensive line played well, did a good job. Backs ran hard, did a good job with the ball. It was a good effort, total team win."
El Dorado hosts Texarkana next week at Memorial Stadium. With a victory, Reed would tie Garland Gregory for the most football coaching victories ever at El Dorado.