For three quarters Thursday night, El Dorado’s offense couldn’t have clicked much better against Camden Fairview. The Wildcats scored on three of their first four possessions in the first half and their first three possessions of the second half en route to a 40-36 victory.
“I thought we were efficient. I had us with over 400 yards,” said El Dorado coach Steven Jones.
Sharmon Rester passed for 247 yards and four touchdowns, completing 10-of-16 through the air. RJ Thomas had two TD receptions with Jackie Washington and DeAndra Burns, Jr., also catching scoring tosses.
“We had a lot of explosive plays. I was really excited for RJ Thomas. He’s kind of the guy that’s been under the radar as far as the wideouts go. He had a big night,” Jones said. “Kamron Bibby had a couple big catches at pivotal points of the game. Jackie and DeAndra showed how explosive they can be. I thought they did a good job out in space, making plays. Shadarious Plummer ran the football hard between the tackles.
“Another thing that stood out, there wasn’t a big pass rush. Our offensive line did an outstanding job of giving Sharmon time to go through his progressions. Also in the run game, they had a very big, physical defensive front, maybe one of the better (defensive) lines we’ll see all year and our offensive line moved some bodies around. It was a great night for them, too.”
Plummer rushed for 75 yards in the first half but was held to just four after intermission. But, the Wildcats exploded through the air in the second half with Washington and Burns catching touchdown passes of 64 and 53 yards, respectively. Washington also had a 68-yard touchdown run around right end.
“They made adjustments to stop the run in the second half. That’s how we had three explosive pass plays,” Jones explained. “One of those was a run with Jackie but getting the ball out in space. They tried to load up to stop what we were doing up front, running the football. We just take what the defense gives us, get the ball out there and let’s go score.”
Rester played a key role in distributing the football. All four receivers made big plays and the senior quarterback also kept for a 7-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
“He was focused. Before the game, you could see it in his eyes that he was ready,” Jones said. “I’m glad we went out and competed at a high level. I think he’s going to get better each week. I was very pleased with his patience in the pocket. He threw some really good footballs. The post in the end zone to RJ Thomas may have been the hardest throw I’ve seen a quarterback make in awhile, fitting it between the corner and the safety. He just stuck it in. It was an incredible throw.
“I thought we were balanced, not necessarily run-pass, but balanced in getting different playmakers the ball and letting them go and do what they can do. I’m excited. Offensively, we’re just going to get sharper and sharper each week.”