Cypress Loses Grip and the Game, 13-7

Cypress had a 2-0 Empire League record and a good look at its first playoff berth in 16 years within its grasp Friday night. But the Centurions couldn’t catch the ball or hang on to it in the second half of a frustrating 13-7 loss to El Dorado at Valencia High.

“Two fumbles, two dropped passes,” Cypress Coach Ted Hovorka said. “If not for that, the game is ours.”

The Cypress fumbles came on its first two offensive plays of the second half and led to 10 El Dorado points. After Cypress took a 7-0 halftime lead, a blind-side blitz by linebacker Jason Vermilyer surprised Cypress quarterback James Law and jarred the ball loose. Shawn Tabba recovered the fumble and three plays later, Cypress’ Mike Zurhellen kicked a 37-yard field goal.

“[El Dorado Coach] Rick Jones made a great call on that blitz,” Hovorka said. “We weren’t ready for it.”

But Hovorka said running back Kelly Patterson’s fumble could have been avoided. Patterson was struggling for yardage when he lost the ball at his 29 to El Dorado lineman Brandon Boughton, who pounced on the loose ball.

“He was doing some hot-dogging there,” Hovorka said. “It was just sloppy football.”

El Dorado took advantage of the break and scored five plays later on Steven Warfield’s one-yard plunge to go up, 10-7. Warfield rushed for 140 yards in 30 carries and helped El Dorado control the ball throughout the game.

Zurhellen booted a 42-yard field goal with four minutes left in the third quarter to put El Dorado ahead, 13-7. Cypress still had a few chances to overcome the fumbles, but the Centurions couldn’t make the big catch when they needed to.

Early in the fourth quarter, Cypress drove from its 16 to El Dorado’s 11--the key play coming on a 50-yard play from Law to Patterson on a tipped pass. On third and nine at the El Dorado 11, Law hit Mike Meza with a perfect pass at the two but Meza let the ball slip through his hands. Law went back to Meza on fourth down. This time, Meza caught the ball but he was two yards short of the first down.

Cypress had one last opportunity to score but Law’s overthrown pass was intercepted at the El Dorado 34 by Andy Woldridge with 42 seconds left.

A disappointed Hovorka said his team’s first playoff berth since 1980 is still within reach.

“We’re going to be there,” he said. “We’re going to make the playoffs. We battled tonight. We’re going to be all right.”

Cypress scored its only touchdown on Law’s one-yard sneak in the second quarter. The score was set up by a fourth-and-seven pass interference penalty at the El Dorado seven.

El Dorado (2-5, 2-0), which survived 102 yards in penalties, didn’t play spectacular football, but the Golden Hawks did hang onto the football.