PREP FOOTBALL ROUNDUP : El Dorado Stuns No. 8 Los Alamitos

El Dorado capped a week of upsets by stunning Los Alamitos, 7-0, in the Empire League opener for both schools Saturday night at Valencia High in Placentia.

Los Alamitos (5-1, 0-1 in league) came into the game ranked eighth in the Orange County Sportswriters’ Assn. prep poll. On tap is a showdown with second-ranked Esperanza next Friday that many felt would be the game for the league championship.

But El Dorado (4-2, 1-0) shut down Los Alamitos’ run-and-shoot offense and used the strong running of tailback Bryan Warner to win in front of 2,000 fans.

Warner gained 169 yards in 30 carries and scored the game’s only touchdown on a one-yard run in the first quarter. The touchdown seemed insignificant at the time, but El Dorado’s defense made the lone score stand in an emotional victory.

“That was the most emotional game I’ve ever played,” Warner said. “I was running on adrenaline in the last quarter. I was getting tired, but I wanted this game so bad that I just kept going somehow.”

Among the defensive heroes for El Dorado in the fourth quarter were defensive back Dan Molnar and end Brett Bryant. Molnar intercepted a pass at his own 45-yard line with 10 minutes 3 seconds remaining to play to end Los Alamitos’ comeback attempt.

Bryant recovered a fumbled punt with 7:30 left that bought El Dorado some time as it struggled to get its offense going in the final minutes of play. Afterward, third-year Coach Rick Jones stood at midfield, soaking wet from a Gatorade shower.

“We worked three years for this,” Jones said. “I felt we were earning this victory play by play. This was a gutsy performance by a group of players who just refused to quit.”

Jones’ rebuilding project at El Dorado appears complete. Two years ago, El Dorado failed to win a game but the youthful coach has 32 players believing they can qualify for the playoffs in his third season.

Warner has provided the offense, gaining 506 yards and scoring four touchdowns in six games. El Dorado’s only losses have come against top 10-ranked teams Valencia and Brea-Olinda.

Although the score was close, El Dorado’s upset was no fluke. The Golden Hawks gained 225 yards rushing and 129 yards passing and dominated play from start to finish.

Los Alamitos quarterback Tim Carey was inconsistent, completing only nine of 28 passes for 51 yards. The Griffins weren’t much better on the ground, gaining only 71 yards rushing.

Los Alamitos joined fifth-ranked Mission Viejo, seventh-ranked Brea-Olinda and ninth-ranked Edison as upset victims in a week of surprises. Earlier, Irvine upset Mission Viejo, 16-13; Savanna upset Brea-Olinda, 23-20; and Marina stunned Edison, 15-12.

In Academy League Eight-Man Football:

Liberty Christian 38, Windward 0--Gabe Baltodano scored five touchdowns and rushed for 165 yards in 17 carries to lead visiting Liberty Christian (4-2, 1-1) past Windward (2-3, 1-1). The Minutemen intercepted three Windward passes, including an interception by Baltodano, who returned it 48 yards for a touchdown.