El Dorado Runs Away From Kennedy

Rob O’Neil, El Dorado High School fullback, will never be considered a breakaway runner.

Break down is more like it.

As O’Neil chugged his way toward the goal line with the opening kickoff of the Golden Hawks’ Empire League opener Saturday night against Kennedy, it looked as if he might not make the 80-yard journey. Even though there wasn’t a Kennedy defender within 10 yards of him.

“I think Rob has just hit the wall,” joked Steve Leavitt, El Dorado assistant coach, in the press box.

O’Neil did make it to the end zone, and started the Golden Hawks on their way to a 35-7 victory over the Fighting Irish in Handel Stadium in front of 1,000.

“It seemed like the harder I ran, the farther the goal line got,” O’Neil said. “I saw one guy come after me, I managed to go over him and after that there was nothing but daylight. I just had to make it there.”

In contrast to O’Neil’s trek, the Golden Hawks’ offense didn’t seem to take a deep breath as they scored 21 additional first-half points. El Dorado did manage to make their scoring plays long enough, though, to get some running in.

Rich Chamberlain ran 20-yards off right tackle for El Dorado’s second touchdown with no time remaining on the clock in the first quarter.

El Dorado quarterback Dan Sutherland hit wide receiver Rick Bowen on a slant pattern, and when Kennedy defensive back Charlie Lindquist slipped on the rain-slicked field, Bowen walked in to complete a 39-yard scoring play.

Sutherland hit fullback Doug Sipple with a 59-yard scoring pass-play with just 44 seconds remaining in the first half. Chamberlain ran for EL Dorado’s shortest touchdown, going in from a mere 16 yards out in the third quarter.

“It was a pretty good opening game for us,” Carl Sweet, El Dorado coach, said. “I think we came out a little flat. We weren’t as intense as I hoped.”

If Sweet is correct, the mind boggles at the mathematical possibilities if El Dorado team had been intense.

Kennedy didn’t make it into El Dorado territory until the 6:23 mark of the third quarter. El Dorado started five drives in Kennedy territory.

Typically for Kennedy, it punted the play after it got to the El Dorado 49-yard line.

It’s hard to say who got more work, Kennedy quarterback Todd Bristow, who was sacked six times, or Trevor Flores who punted eight times for the Fighting Irish.