Eagles pick up big road win in rivalry game
A true road test and a true rivalry game.
For Eldorado they traveled to Carmi-White County Friday night and came away with a 16-14 victory to improve to 3-1 in the Black Diamond Conference race.
For Carmi-White County, the bulldogs' defense came through with a stellar effort, but losing the turnover battle 4-0 was the difference in the loss to the Eagles Friday.
CWC entered the game shorthanded, losing ironman Ethan Mahon to injury, and it was like losing four players (running back, linebacker, kicker and punter). The Bulldogs adjusted by going to a running back by committee (Austin Wheeler, Jaedon Reeder, Luke Simon and Eric Mills) and that group ended up out-rushing Eldorado 137-87 on the night.
The Bulldogs took the opening possession and moved down the field with three first downs before stalling in Eldorado territory. The Eagles first drive was an effective mix of passes and runs that ultimately was killed by a penalty. Those two drives closed out a fast-moving first quarter.
The Bulldogs second drive of the game ended with a fumble recovered by Eldorado at their own 48-yard line. The Eagles were able to generate a first down out of punt formation before the Bulldogs' defense stiffened again. The Bulldogs took over and converted their own big fourth down play, a 27-yard pass from William Pugsley to Luke Simon giving the Bulldogs a first down at the 15-yard line. Three plays later Wheeler plowed into the end zone to complete the 10-play, 60-yard drive and put CWC up 6-0 with only 43 seconds left in the half.
The Eagles decided to play aggressively in the closing moments and it paid off. Four quick passes by Aiden Whitlock put them at the 13-yard line. From there Dawson Metten ran up the middle to score with six seconds left in the half. Metten added a two-point conversion to give the Eagles an 8-6 lead heading to the locker room.
During the third quarter it seemed like the field was tilted as the Eagles repeatedly found themselves with the ball deep in Bulldogs territory. In their first possession a 39-yard pass to Joe Mayberry set them up with a first down on the CWC 29-yard line. The Bulldogs defense answered the call. The Eagles next drive started at the Bulldogs 15-yard line after a 45-yard punt return. Once again the defense held. The third time was the charm for the Eagles however, as the pounced on a CWC fumble. Eldorado went to the air with Whitlock finding a wide-open Mayberry for a 23-yard strike. Clayton Dennis ran in the conversion to put the Eagles up two scores,16-6.
Until late in the fourth quarter the game settled into a pattern of the CWC defense keeping the Eagles from scoring to keep the game within reach. When they caused a turn over on downs with less than four minutes left the Bulldogs opened it up and moved down the field with the passing game. Freshman Luke Simon hauled in two long passes, and Cooper Craig and Adam Phelps grabbed one each, to put the Bulldogs on the 13-yard line. From there Pugsley launched a fade pass to the corner of the end zone where Phelps fought off two defenders, and plenty of contact, to make the touchdown catch. Phelps added the conversion to bring the Bulldogs within 16-14 with just over two minutes left on the clock.
CWC's defense held one more time but Eldorado's punt pinned the Bulldogs deep in their own territory with only seconds left on the clock and assured the victory for the Eagles.
SCORING PLAYS
Second Quarter
CWC – Austin Wheeler 1 run (run failed), :43
ELD – Dawson Metten 13 run (Metten run), :06
Third Quarter
ELD – Joe Mayberry 23 catch from Aiden Whitlock (Clayton Dennis run), 2:32
Fourth Quarter
CWC – Adam Phelps 13 catch from William Pugsley (Phelps catch from Pugsley), 2:09
Team Statistics
First Downs: Eld 12, CWC 14
Total Yards: Eld 258, CWC 252
Fumbles-lost: Eld 0, CWC 3
Interceptions: Eld 0, CWC 1
RUSHING (Att-Yds-TD)
ELD - Dawson Metten 17-61-1, Jace Jenkins 10-23-0, Clayton Dennis 6-12-0, Joe Mayberry 1-4-0, Aiden Whitlock 2-(-13)-0. CWC – Austin Wheeler 13-59-1, Jaedon Reeder 10-32-0, Luke Simon 9-27-0, Eric Mills 6-19-0.
PASSING (Att-Comp-INT-Yds-TD)
ELD – Aiden Whitlock 10-17-0-157-1. CWC – William Pugsley 9-12-1-124-1.
RECEIVING (Rec-Yds-TD)
ELD – Joe Mayberry 4-88-1, Jace Jenkins 3-45-0, Dawson Metten 1-11-0, Jeremy Boulds 1-7-0, Austin Duncan 1-6-0. CWC – Luke Simon 4-85-0, Adam Phelps 3-24-1, Cooper Craig 2-15-0.