El Dorado’s Fourth-Quarter Scores Stop Cypress

El Dorado broke open a close game with two fourth-quarter touchdowns to beat Cypress, 21-3, in an Empire League game Friday night at Valencia High School.

Leading 7-3 late in the third quarter, the Golden Hawks (8-1, 3-1 in league) got a break when Randy Roy recovered a Cypress muff of an El Dorado punt on the Centurion 49. Aided by a 15-yard run by fullback Spencer Frost and a 15-yard facemask penalty, El Dorado scored on a 14-yard run by quarterback Jim Beck with 10 minutes 54 seconds left in the game.

After stopping Cypress on fourth down on the 50, the Golden Hawks put the game away after Frost gained 33 yards to the Centurion 10. Running back Alex Molnar scored on the next play and kicked his third extra point for a 21-3 lead with 5:16 left.

The victory set up next week’s showdown against once-beaten Esperanza for second place. But Golden Hawk Coach Rick Jones denied his team was looking ahead.

“We were totally focused on Cypress,” Jones said. “We played better in the second half. My kids are battlers. They’re fighters.”

After a game-opening nine-play, 84-yard El Dorado drive with Frost scoring from the one, the Centurions (4-5, 1-3) fought the Golden Hawks to a standstill behind a strong defensive effort led by tackle Chris Coles. The Centurions lost starting quarterback David Martin to an injury during the game-opening defensive series.

Substitute quarterback David Wheeler came in and led the Centurions on a 17-play, 59-yard drive that ended with Joey Meza’s 34-yard field goal with 11:18 left in the second quarter. Wheeler completed 10 of 18 passes for 52 yards.

“Wheeler came a long way,” Cypress Coach John Selbe said. “He came into the game in a difficult situation and did a good job.”