Eagles Handle Vikings
Eldorado Holds On Despite Sloppy, Penalty-filled Play
The Eldorado Eagles are four weeks into the 2012 prep football season and haven’t sniffed a game in which they’ve put everything together. They’re moving — slowly — in the right direction.
“This is just a baby step,” Eldorado tailback George Pacheco said.
The mistake-prone Eagles kept Valley (2-2) close Thursday night, but eventually Eldorado got out of Wilson Stadium with a hard-fought 41-34 homecoming victory.
Eldorado overcame 18 penalties and a pair of turnovers.
“We’re undisciplined,” EHS coach Charlie Dotson said. “That’s the coach’s fault. We’ve got to get them to be more disciplined in every facet.” There were positives for Eldorado (2-1). Sophomore Zach Gentry (elbow) returned as Eldorado’s primary quarterback, although he didn’t start. Junior Alan Evans did. But Gentry took over late in the first quarter — primarily to do what Evans was already doing, which is hand off to Pacheco.
The Eagles’ diminutive senior tailback — a slight 5-feet-5 and 160 pounds — rushed 20 times for 198 yards and four scores, and that was just before halftime. There were fireworks aplenty early on. It was a half Eldorado appeared to dominate, especially on the ground. Pacheco had scoring runs of 31, 9, 12 and 3 yards. Eldorado had 256 yards of total offense.
But the Eagles also bumbled their way around the stadium in other moments. They were flagged 11 times for 89 yards in the first two quarters.
A late Eldorado hit against Valley quarterback Bo Coleman — Coleman was already on the ground, having been stopped well short on a third-and-11 keeper — kept a Vikings drive alive. Moments later, it led to a 1-yard TD run by Esteban Loera.
Late in the first half, Evans (back in at QB momentarily) got careless with the ball and fumbled, handing Valley great field position at the Eldorado 31. That mistake also led to Valley points, a 1-yard run by Robert Armijo in the final 30 seconds of the second quarter.
Armijo’s run cut a 27-13 deficit to 27-20 at halftime.
Eldorado’s defense also surrendered an 82-yard touchdown throw from Coleman to Troy Giddings on a third-and-12 with the Eagles in command 14-0. Pacheco had scored on Eldorado’s first two drives.
For Pacheco, it was the first five-touchdown performance of his life.
“We were all super-pumped for homecoming,” he said. “We came out with a chip on our shoulder.”
Pacheco finished with 26 carries for 241 yards, adding a 27-yard TD run in the third quarter for a 34-20 lead. Loera scored on a 5-yarder to make it 34-27 late in the third.
Michael Ward of Eldorado busted a fourth-and-2 for an 18-yard TD with 2:12 left, which seemed to seal things for the Eagles. It didn’t.
Coleman threw 10 yards to Armijo with 20 seconds to go, but the Eagles’ Aaron Herrera recovered the ensuing onside kick.