Roger Price
Section618.com
ELDORADO – The Eldorado Eagles came within one yard of upsetting the Sesser-Valier/Waltonville Red Devils, falling 27-26 at Boz Adams Field at Eldorado.
The Eagles jumped out to a 12-0 lead on first quarter touchdown runs by Ashton Robinson and quarterback Parker Price, but could not convert either 2-point conversion, which loom large later.
The Red Devils got on the board early in the second quarter on a 27-yard Brock Chelf TD run to cut the Eagles’ lead to 12-7. Eldorado answered with a 47-yard TD pass from Price to Josh Owens. Owens finished the night with five receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown.
Eldorado led 20-7 at the half.
SVW cut that lead to 20-14 on Chelf’s second touchdown run of the night, this one from six yards out. The Red Devils then took the lead for the first time on Wyatt Loucks’ 47-yard punt return touchdown. The extra point put SVW up 21-20.
Eldorado answered with a one-yard touchdown from Robinson, his second TD of the night and seventh of the season. The Eagles’ successful 2-point conversion was called back due to a holding penalty. The subsequent try from the 13 failed, so Eldorado’s lead was 26-21 with 7:11 to play.
SVW regained the lead just one minute later, on a 23-yard touchdown run from Dez Malone. The extra point was blocked, so the Red Devils’ lead was 27-26.
The Eagles set out on a potential game winning drive. They marched down the field and with less than 2:00 to play had 1st and goal from the 6. Robinson picked up four yards on first down, then picked up another yard on second down. After an SVW timeout with 44 seconds left and facing 3rd and goal from the one, Eldorado called on Robinson again, but the Red Devils dropped him for a 4-yard loss. The game came down to one play–fourth and goal from the 5 with less than 15 seconds to play. Robinson got the call again, and the Red Devils tackled him short of the end zone to secure the hard-fought win.
SVW improves to 5-1 to become playoff eligible. The Red Devils will host unbeaten Johnston City next week. Eldorado falls to 2-4 and will hit the road next week to face the Black Diamond’s other unbeaten team, Carmi White County.