Sports

Eagles swat Hornets 56-15 on Senior Night

Thursday, 15 November 2012 12:56

Ruben Vazquez intercepted the ball late in the game last Friday night as the Eldorado Eagles cruised to a 56-15 win over the Irion County Hornets in the final game of the regular season — PHOTO BY LUPE ELIZONDO It’s a Clean Sweep

The Eldorado Eagles offensive unit scored early and often last Friday night while the defensive squad notched up five takeaways and a score of its own as the team coasted to a 56-15 vicotry over the visiting Irion County Hornets.

The win came on Senior Night as 15 members of the team played their last-ever game in Eagle Stadium.

That’s not to say that their football careers are over. Far from it. The Eagles swept 6-1A to claim the District Championship and a automatic ticket to the Area Round of the State 1A Playoffs.

The Eagles will enjoy a bye this week and await the winner of the Hamlin/Electra game which is slated for Thursday night in Graham.

Irion County scored first in last Friday night’s game but the Eagles didn’t wait long to respond as Bailey Espinosa returned the ensuing kickoff 65 yards for the Eagles first TD of the night. The extra-point failed leaving the Hornets ahead by a single point with 4:38 remaining in the opening quarter.

The Eagles took the lead for good on their very next possession when Rico Martinez ran the ball in from eight yards out. Martinez also carried the ball into the endzone on the two point conversion and Eldorado led 14-7 with 57 seconds left to play in the first quarter.

The Eagles scored three times in the second quarter, first on a six-yard run by Jackson O’Harrow at the 6:52 mark. Hector Reyes added the extra-point as Eldorado took a 21-7 lead.

Quarterback Blaine Mitchell then connected with Dylan Ramos on a spectacular 85-yard touchdown pass. Reyes added the extra-point as the Eagles pulled ahead 28-7 with 2:01 left in the second quarter.

A fumble recover put the Eagles offense back on the field and Ramos scored his second TD of the night on a run from 20 yards out. Reyes booted through the extra-point and the Eagles led 35-7 with 58 seconds to play before the intermission.

The Warbirds picked up where they left off in the third period as Ruben Vazquez sprinted 30 yards to paydirt. Again, Reyes added the extra-point and Eldorado led 42-7 at the 9:38 mark in the third stanza.

A fumble gave the ball back to Eldorado on the Hornet’s 22-yard line. It was from there that Blaine Mitchell found an opening and raced to the endzone. Reyes’ kick made the score 49-7 in favor of the Eagles with 9:17 remaining in the third quarter.

Eldorado would score again, just three minutes later, when freshman Fabian Gomez carried the ball in from six yards out. Reyes’ kick was true and the Eagles pulled ahead 56-7.

Irion County managed to score in the final period as Eagles coach Danny Wilhelm put his second and third defensive units on the field. The Hornets also put the ball into the end zone on a two-point conversion to make the final score 56-15.

Coach Danny Wilhelm, who received a Gatorade bath from two of his players (see photo on Front Page) said after the game that he was very proud of the way the team played.

“Not just this game, but all year long,” the coach said. “The team accepted the challenge to get a little better each week. As they improved and began to believe in themselves, they became a very good football team.”

Wilhelm gathered with his players on the field after the game where SCISD Superintendent Billy Collins presented them with the District Championship trophy and encouraged them to keep their focus and set their sights on the next opponent.

Eagles defeat TLCA 42-7 to clinch district championship

Thursday, 01 November 2012 00:00

The Eldorado Eagles defeated TLC Academy (TLCA) 42-7 last Friday night, improving their district record to 5-0 and securing Eldorado’s first outright district title since 1997.

Depending on who you asked, the Eagles were picked to place either fourth or fifth in District 6-1A when the 2012 football season began. And, after losing three out of four non-district games, few could have predicted the 5-0 swath the Warbirds would cut through the heart of their district schedule, beginning with the defending district champion Bronte Longhorns, who the Eagles dispatched 20-6 on their home field in a driving rain storm.

Eldorado then defeated Christoval, Menard and Miles on their way to last week’s showdown with TLCA.

Friday night’s matchup promised to be a slugfest. TLCA’s Brandon Garcia came into the game as the district’s leading rusher with more than 1,400 yards and 17 touchdowns in only seven games.

For their part, the Eagles brought an arsenal of running backs and receivers on a team loaded with 15 seniors. On top of that, the Warbirds’ defensive unit was the toughest in the district.

And...Eldorado’s defense came to play, forcing five fumbles while recovering three. Brandon Garcia was able to gain 151 yards on the night for TLCA, but he only had one long run for 51 yards, and the Eagles defense did not let him score.

“Brandon Garcia is a big, bruising running back,” Eagles head football coach Danny Wilhelm said after the game. “He runs violently, twists and spins. We were able to contain him and force some fumbles.”

Eldorado’s defensive secondary also contributed to the victory as they held TLCA quarterback Alex Garcia to a single completion on 11 attempts. One of his errant passes would add to Eldorado’s point total as Brian Shriver leapt high in the air to pull down an interception before weaving his way through a sea of would-be tacklers en route to a 44-yard touchdown return.

Offensively, the Eagles just had too many weapons for TLCA. Seven different players carried the ball for Eldorado combining for 340 yards rushing, 15 first downs and five touchdowns.

Blaine Mitchell was the Eagles leading rusher with 128 yards on 12 carries, the longest a 58 yard scamper. He also scored three of Eldorado’s six touchdowns.

Despite the lopsided final score, the game actually got off to a slow start for both teams as they exchanged possessions throughout the first quarter.

All of that changed, however in the second period when Ruben Vazquez sprinted 36 yards to end zone, giving the Eagles a 6-0 lead.

When TLCA failed to sustain its next drive, the Eagles answered with a pair of TDs in less than a minute. The first came on a 23 yard run by Mitchell. The second on Shriver’s spectacular interception and return. Bobby Martinez hauled in a pass from

Mitchell for a two-point conversion after the first of those scores, and Hector Reyes booted the extra point after the second to give the Eagles a 21-0 lead with 2:55 remaining in the first half.

Dylan Ramos scored the first points of the second half when he raced 16 yards to the end zone with 4:05 left in the third quarter. Reyes added the extra point and Eldorado led 28-0.
The TLCA team was determined not to be shut out, however, and they drove the football deep in to Eldorado territory where Darion Thomas scored on a 25 yard run. Stefan Miller added the extra point to make the score 28-7 in favor of Eldorado.

From there on in, the game belonged to the Eagles, even as Coach Wilhelm began substituting in some of his younger players.

Mitchell would score two more times in the game beginning with a 36 yard run with 10:26 remaining. Reyes was good on the extra point and the Eagles pulled out to a 35-7 lead.
Mitchell would find pay dirt once more, this time on his longest run of the night when he raced in from the TLCA 42-yard line for a 58 yard TD run. And, Reyes made good on the extra point try to give the Eagles their 42-7 margin of victory.

“This was a big one for us,” Coach Wilhelm commented afterward. “It’s always good to make the playoffs, but to wrap up a district championship while everyone else has two games left to play...well, that feels really good.”

Wilhelm couldn’t say enough good things about his team. “I’m so proud of these guys, they came out and worked hard all year long. They adopted the motto Make History or Be History and they took it to heart. I’m pleased for them that they were able to achieve their goal of winning a district championship.”

The coach went on to say that it would be hard to over estimate the importance of senior leadership on the team. “We have 15 seniors and they set the pace for the rest of the team. We challenged them to get a little better each week and the team bought into it.”

Wilhelm noted that except for one play in the Harper game and another in the Kermit game, the Eagles could easily have won two of the three non-district games they lost early in the season.

“We’re going to rest up this week and heal up a little bit, although we’re actually pretty healthy,” Wilhelm said.
Wilhelm noted that Alejandro Dominguez, who has been recovering from a knee sprain, should be back in the line up next week

when the Eagles host the Irion County Hornets in the final regular season game.

That’s senior night, and we’re looking forward to that,” Wilhelm added. “Then we get another bye before heading into the playoffs. You have to like the way this is shaping up.”

2012 District Cross-Country Meet Results

Thursday, 25 October 2012 00:00

Eldorado Varsity Cross County participated at District 7A in Iraan Monday, October 15th. Eldorado’s Varsity Boys Team placed 4th overall.

Varsity Boys individual team members results: 12. Jose Luis Olivares, 20:00; 19. Domingo Garcia, 20:38; 20. Adrian Martinez, 20:38; 22. Daniel Sorrells, 20:42; 36. Dalton Buchholz, 22:48; 40. Jacob Mettlin, 23:16; 45. Benjamin Martin, 24:38.

Eldorado’s Varsity Girls Team placed 8th. Varsity Girls individual results: 18. Alexis Garcia, 14:13; 21. Valeria Ortiz, 14:19; 31. Alex McMayon, 14:40; 55. Magali Mata, 15:55; 58. Ivie Kate Mynatt, 16:29; 61. Sasha Sanchez, 16:59; 62. Arden Mertz, 17:00.

JV District Results: JV Boys individual times: 8. Hagen Porras, 24:14; 9. Johnathan Martinez, 24:14; 22. Juan Carlos Aranda, 30:35; 23. Amalio Ramon, 30:51

JV Girls individual times: 30. Jessica Pasillas, 18:10.

7th Grade Boys C-C team earns Bronze at District

Thursday, 25 October 2012 00:00

Eldorado’s 7th Grade Boys Cross Country Team placed 3rd place at the District 7A Cross Country Meet held in Iraan Monday, October 15th. Team members are: (L-R) Amalio Villanueva, Mark Dearruda, Mark Muniz, Anthony Olivares and Blaine Aker. — PHOTO BY LUPE ELIZONDO 7th Grade Boys Eldorado Team received a bronze metals for placing 3rd at the District 7A Meet held in Iraan Monday, October 15th.
7th Grade Boys individual results: 4. Anthony Olivares medaled with a time of 13:57; 13. Amalio Villanueva, 15:52; 17. Mark Dearruda, 17:17; 20. Mark Muniz, 18:13; 23. Blaine Aker, 21:59:
7th Grade Girls Eldorado Team placed 4th. 7th Grade Girls individual results: 7. Emmy Arispe medaled with a time of 15:20; 11. Kenzi Werner, 15:41; 19. Andi Morris, 16:44; 26. Kiki Guerra, 17:25; 29. Mercades Ochoa, 17:39; 33. CJ Covarrubiaz, 17:49; 36. Sierra Forlano, 18:05
8th Grade Boys Eldorado Team placed 4th. 8th Grade Boys individuals results: 17. Ernesto Flores, 15:14; 23. Canyon Faull, 15:47; 25. Noah Sorrells, 15:53; 28. David Stutes, 17:40; 32. Clayton Arendt, 20:58
8th Grade Girls Eldorado Team placed 5th. 8th Grade Girls individual results: 4. Sydney Covarrubiaz medaled with a time of 14:39; 15. Riley Umphress, 16:13; 30. Emily Shipman, 17:35; 41. Elizabeth Griffin, 19:57; 43. Andrealynn Martin, 20:43.

Eagles looking to clinch district title against TLCA

Thursday, 25 October 2012 00:00

Eagles defensive lineman #70 Will Barker fights off a double-team block and forces a Miles runner to look for another running lane. That’s when #6 Jackson O’Harrow swept in to tackle the runner and end another Miles drive. Eldorado won the game, held last Friday night in Eagles Stadium, by a score of 28-12 to clinch the team’s first playoff berth since 2007. PHOTO BY RANDY MANKIN Warbirds 28-12 win over Miles breaks 5-year playoff drought

The Eldorado Eagles football team is one win away from its first district title in five years. If Coach Danny Wilhelm has his way that win could come as early as Friday night when the Eagles travel to San Angelo to take on the TLC Academy.

The Warbirds got their fourth straight district win last Friday, defeating the visiting Miles Bulldogs 28-12, guaranteeing the green-clad Eagles their first playoff appearance since 2007. That’s when the team shared the district championship with Christoval. The team’s last outright district title came in 1997.

Eldorado’s path to the playoffs was far from certain and ran through a gauntlet of teams that began the season ranked well above the Eagles in District 6-1A.

The first of those was Bronte, which the Warbirds dispatched 20-6 in a driving rain storm on the Longhorns’ home field.

The Eagles then got an exciting 27-26 win over Christoval at home, went on the road to pound Menard 52-20, and returned to Eldorado where they defeated Miles 28-12 last Friday night.
Coach Danny Wilhelm relied on his defense early in the game as the Eagles won the opening coin toss and deferred their choice until the second half. For their part, the Miles Bulldogs elected to receive the opening kickoff but couldn’t move the ball, a scenario that would repeat itself several times during the night.

“Our defense played well and contained Miles early, giving us the chance to take the lead,” Wilhelm said after the contest.
Eldorado got its first score when running back Rico Martinez found the end zone from one-yard out. Hector Reyes added the extra-point and the Eagles led 7-0 with 2:55 left to play in the opening quarter.

When time expired on the opening quarter, Bobby Martinez was too busy to notice as he hauled in a Blaine Mitchell pass and sprinted 64 yards to the end zone. Again, Reyes added the extra-point, giving Eldorado a 14-0 lead after one quarter of play.

Tres Whitten scored the Eagles third TD of the night, but he had to work for it, twisting and turning in order to break the grip of a Bulldog defender who clung stubbornly to his jersey. When he finally broke free, Whitten raced 45 yards to the end zone as his exposed left shoulder flapped in the breeze.

Once more, Reyes booted the extra-point through the uprights and Eldorado led the Bulldogs with 7:37 remaining in the first half.

That’s when the Bulldogs, who had yet to manage a single first down, came to life. They gained 40 yards on three straight plays but were denied a score when Brian Shriver intercepted a pass in the end zone.

“We played well on both sides of the ball,” Coach Wilhelm noted. “We executed our assignments and the kids played with a lot of heart.”

The score remained at 21-0 until early in the third quarter when Miles scored on a 15-yard run by Dawson Halfman. The Bulldogs then went for a two-point conversion but were stopped short of the goal line, making the score 21-6 at the 10:30 mark in the third period.

Eldorado added its final score a few minutes later when Blaine Mitchell carried the ball in from four yards out. Hector Reyes added his fourth extra-point of the night to give the Eagles a 28-6 lead.

The Bulldogs would score again in the fourth quarter when Halfmann ran the ball in from six yards out. A failed two-point conversion attempt made the final score 28-12.

“That was a big win for us,” Coach Wilhelm stated after the game. “We got going early, and that was important.”

The coach was clearly pleased that the victory clinched a playoff berth for his Eagles.
“We’re happy to be going back to the playoffs for the first time since 2007, but we don’t want to settle for a playoff berth, we want a district championship!” Wilhelm said.

Eldorado rushed for 239 yards in the game with Rico Martinez picking up 106 yards of that on 20 carries. Meanwhile, quarterback Blaine Mitchell connected on three of four passes for 90 yards and a TD. He also picked up 70 yards on 16 carries.

Hector Reyes hit all four of his extra-point tries giving him 19 points on the season.

Defensively, Jackson O’Harrow led the Eagles in tackling with 10 while Will Barker counted for six stops. Bobby Martinez and

Tres Whitten each intercepted a pass to stop a Miles scoring threat.

A win in one of the two remaining regular season games will make that a reality.

“If we beat either TLCA or Irion County we clinch the outright district title,” Wilhelm added. “I prefer we make it happen Friday night against TLCA.”
Neither the coach nor the team are taking anything for granted.

“I know people get tired of hearing about it, but we need to continue improving.” Wilhelm said, “All we have to do is keep getting better each week...something this team is very capable of.”

There are several good reasons Wilhelm wants to claim the district title sooner rather than later, but perhaps the best reason is the path that such a win would give the team into the state playoffs. By defeating TLCA the Eagles would then enjoy a bye next week, while savoring their district title before playing Irion County in the final game of the regular season. Secondly, the district champion enjoys a bye week following the regular season before making their playoff debut in the Area round.

“It would be nice to have the ability to use those byes to prepare for the playoffs, heal our team up and get ready for the next challenge,” Wilhelm said.

And, it seems the Eagles are growing accustomed to responding to their coach’s challenges.

“First we set a goal of making the playoffs,” Wilhelm stated. “Next we set a goal of winning an outright district title. Then we will go after the goal of going undefeated in district,”

Tomorrow night’s game is slated for 7:30 p.m. in San Angelo Lakeview Stadium near the Tom Green County Coliseum.

Everyone is encouraged to make the trip and support the Eagles in their quest for a district championship.

Those who cannot travel to San Angelo can listen to the game live on KLDE 104.9 FM.

Warbirds 28-12 win over Miles breaks 5-year playoff drought