El Dorado Wins, Clinches Share of League Title

After losing all five of its nonleague games, El Dorado won its fourth consecutive game and clinched a tie for the Empire League championship. The Golden Hawks defeated Katella, 21-0, Friday night at Valencia.

Junior running back Steven Warfield led the El Dorado offense with 168 yards in 26 carries and scored all three Golden Hawk touchdowns.

“After starting 0-5, we could have either given in or have gone forward,” El Dorado Coach Rick Jones said. “This was a total team victory. It’s great to have a share of the league title, but we still have one more game to play.”

Warfield scored his first touchdown on a two-yard run with 3:28 remaining in first quarter. That came four plays after a snap from center sailed over the head of Katella punter Ricky Thompson and was recovered by El Dorado on the Knights’ 19-yard line.

After the Golden Hawks stopped running back Jim Vittner for no gain on fourth down and less than a yard, El Dorado converted that defensive stand into Warfield’s second touchdown, a one-yard run that would give the Golden Hawks a 14-0 halftime lead.

Another Katella mistake led to Warfield’s third touchdown. Mike Zurhellen recovered a fumble by Katella quarterback John Baldridge at midfield. Warfield scored six plays later from 11 yards out.