Without Dawson, Loara Falls to El Dorado, Molnar

El Dorado running back Alex Molnar rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns in 24 carries to lead the Golden Hawks to a 20-16 Empire League victory over Loara Thursday night at Western High School.

Loara (2-5-2, 0-3-1) was playing without its top running back, Denis Dawson, who was suspended by Coach John deFries for breaking an unspecified team rule. Dawson had rushed for 786 yards this season.

El Dorado (4-5, 2-2) kept its playoff hopes alive by scoring 13 third-quarter points to rally from a 10-7 halftime deficit. Two plays after Spencer Frost intercepted a Jim Kirkland pass and returned it to the Loara 16, Molnar darted up the middle but was stripped of the ball before he crossed the goal line. Lineman Matt Hertzler fell on the ball in the end zone to give El Dorado the lead for good, 13-10.

Trailing 20-10 in the fourth quarter, Loara’s Floyd Talley took a screen pass from Kirkland 31 yards for a touchdown.

Loara made one last stand, and with 57 yards in six carries from third-string tailback Vincent Pla, drove from the Saxon eight to El Dorado’s 35. But three straight incompletions by Kirkland ended the drive.

El Dorado overcame three costly first-half penalties. A pass-interference call kept alive a Loara drive, which led to a six-yard touchdown run by Pla; a late-hit allowed Loara’s Tony Norris to kick a 25-yard field goal with four seconds left in the half, and an illegal procedure penalty nullified an El Dorado touchdown.