For the second week in a row, El Dorado’s offense was held to less than 200 yards passing. For the second week in a row, the Wildcats showed stretches of dominance, including a 36-7 win over Marion on Friday.
Opponents in the 6A East watch film, too, and have designed defenses to ground El Dorado’s high-powered passing attack.
The Wildcats have responded by unleashing running back Shadarious Plummer, who ran for more than 100 yards for the second straight week. Plummer rushed for 120 yards on 12 attempts against the Patriots with quarterback Sharmon Rester totaling 157 yards on 15 carries. Rester completed 9-of-21 passes for 139 yards.
“They played us defensively a lot like Jonesboro did. Tried to play three safeties and vary the coverage, put an extra guy over the top,” said El Dorado coach Steven Jones. “When that happens, inside the box between the tackles is great to run. When there are four in there, we can put a hat on a hat. Our o-line did a real good job of pushing people around. Plummer and Sharmon Rester had a big night on the ground.”
El Dorado’s starting defense posted a shutout through three quarters. Marion finally scored against the Wildcats’ reserves late in the game.
Defensive end Damarian Rester had 3.5 tackles with two tackles for loss and a sack. Marquees Waller led the team with 5.5 tackles. Jyrin Steward had four tackles with Danquez Shelton and Javin Steward recording 3.5 tackles apiece.
For the Wildcats, Homecoming wasn’t a distraction. In fact, it was a benefit for El Dorado, which loaded the stands in Memorial Stadium.
“Our crowd was awesome,” said Jones. “We knew we were going to have a great turnout when it was packed out at 2:30 for the pep rally. I was blown away by that. It’s just great to play in front of a fan base like that. Our fans push our kids to perform better. They help us out. Our student section makes a lot of noise. Memorial Stadium on a Friday night is quite the environment.”
El Dorado hopes to take some of that enthusiasm on the road this week when it travels to Sylvan Hills to meet the reigning conference champion Bears.
Sylvan Hills is 6-1 overall, 4-0 in league play, with a six-game winning streak.
“Every week is a big game in the 6A East. There are some quality opponents every time you take the field. We’ll have to have a great week of practice and get ready for Sylvan, who beat us last year at our place and ended up winning the conference,” Jones said. “We’ll be ready. Our kids are excited to play them. Going into Sylvan Hills 3-1 in conference, it’s a big game.”