Wildcats' defense shows up against Fairview

News-Times
News-Times

El Dorado’s defense was strong when it had to be Friday night. Camden Fairview opened the third quarter with 10-play, 76-yard drive, scoring a touchdown to take a 13-10 lead with 7:38 left in the third.

The Wildcats held the Cardinals scoreless the rest of the way and rallied for a 16-13 victory in Camden.

“I thought they played really, really hard. They played hard for 48 minutes,” said El Dorado defensive coordinator Trey Outlaw. “It was a pretty dominant game defensively for our guys. We let them in the end zone twice. When we went back and looked at the film, on the long run we had two guys there. We missed two tackles. Overall, very, very proud of our guys. They played really hard, made lots of plays on the other side of the line. In this day and age, if you only give up 13 points, it’s a pretty good job by your defense.”

Fairview’s other score was a 49-yard run by Eric Hall after the Cardinals’ defense stopped El Dorado on fourth down at midfield late in the second quarter.

On the night, El Dorado held Fairview to 182 total yards, including 144 on the ground on 43 carries. The Cardinals completed 12-of-22 through the air for 38 yards.

Emon Ingram’s interception at the 5-yard line stopped a Fairview drive in the first half. The Wildcats stopped the Cardinals on fourth down three times in the second half.

From his linebacker position, Carmerius Rucks led the Wildcats in tackles with 12. Sophomore Jyrin Steward had five tackles with 1.5 sacks. Jacove Lewis had nine tackles. Defensive backs Deontre Norman and Ingram recorded eight and seven tackles, respectively.

But El Dorado’s defensive front might’ve been the dominant group, getting after Fairview’s quarterback with 14 of the team’s 16 QB hurries.

“We were after him all night,” said Outlaw.

Quentin Frazier had nine stops with two tackles for losses and five hurries. Jacoby Hankton recorded eight tackles with two tackles for losses and four hurries. Jonathan Goodman and Martavious Green also rotated in on the front line. Green had four hurries.

Outlaw noted the Wildcats actually got to play in their 3-3-5 alignment against Fairview’s spread offense. El Dorado’s defensive speed was on display against the Cardinals, who tried unsuccessfully to get to the corners throughout the night.

“Really, really proud of how they came out and fought hard,” said Outlaw.

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