Eldorado gets key win over Sandia
Goree runs for a pair of touchdowns for Eagles
Eldorado can breathe easier now. Sandia, meanwhile, is a huge fan of the Carlsbad Cavemen.
Elijah Goree ran for a pair of touchdowns Thursday night for the Eagles, who closed their regular season with a 31-14 victory over the Matadors at chilly Wilson Stadium.
Eldorado (6-4, 2-2 in 2/5-6A) cemented its playoff berth, a bid that was not terribly in danger even before Thursday night.
“You never know,” Eagles coach Charlie Dotson said.
Sandia (3-7, 1-3) can get into the playoffs, but it needs some assistance. The Matadors’ fate rests in the hands of Carlsbad and Hobbs, who play Friday night.
If Hobbs beats the Cavemen, Sandia is almost certain to get knocked out of the playoff picture.
Sandia fell into an early hole Thursday night as Eldorado scored two touchdowns in the game’s first 8:17.
Quarterback Zack Hofman threw a 69-yard scoring pass on the Eagles’ first play from scrimmage, with a wide-open Xander Gibson on the other end on the far side.
On Eldorado’s next possession, the Eagles went 76 yards on seven rush plays to double their lead. Connor Baca rumbled 49 yards to the Sandia 2 on that drive, and two plays later Goree scored on a 1-yard run for a 14-0 lead with 3:43 left in the first quarter.
“It looked a lot like last week (against Manzano),” Dotson said. “We dominated the first half, but the score didn’t indicate it.”
That was a nod to an unexpected change of momentum at the end of the first half.
In the final 30 seconds of the second quarter, Hofman got caught scrambling for his life, and he fumbled to boot as he was tackled, causing a 27-yard loss plus a Sandia recovery at the Eldorado 28.
On the next play, Sandia QB Junior Silva threw a TD pass to Kevin Jackson and the halftime lead for the Eagles was 14-7.
“We didn’t panic,” Dotson said. “We just wanted to continue to do what we were doing, running the ball.”
Eldorado emerged in the third quarter with a definitive drive, marching 73 yards on 12 plays over six minutes, almost exclusively on the ground. Goree scored from the 9, and a 2-point run (an accident following a botched PAT snap) put the Eagles in front 22-7.
There was one setback for Eldorado: Hofman left the game in the third quarter when someone fell on his right ankle. He was using a single crutch on the sideline thereafter.
ALSO THURSDAY: Quarterback Julio Borroel rushed for two touchdowns and ran for a third as Atrisco Heritage (1-8, 1-4 in 1-6A) closed the regular season with a 25-6 victory over West Mesa (1-9, 0-5) at Nusenda Community Stadium. … Centennial (9-1, 5-1 in 3-6A) closed with a 47-0 victory at the Field of Dreams over Gadsden.