09/28/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
ELDORADO - Saturday afternoon's contest between Hamilton County and Eldorado appeared to be headed to overtime with just over a minute remaining in the fourth quarter.

An opening quarter touchdown by the host Eagles and an early third quarter score by the Foxes were the only points produced during a miserable day of weather at Boz Adams Field in Eldorado.

With the contest tied at 8-8 and both clubs struggling to get into scoring position, overtime looked inevitable.

The Eagles had just gotten the ball back at their own 49-yard line with 1:12 left and needed something special to break the tie.

With the help of his teammates, 6-2 junior Maddex Rash made two big game-changing plays in the hosts' final drive.

The running back caught a second-and-long pass for a 14-yard gain and then he produced the game-winning score.

Facing a third-and-one from the Hamilton County 29, Rash took a hand-off from quarterback Jordan Jones.

Rash found an opening up the middle, veered to his right and sprinted towards the goal line.

He was hit as he was falling into the endzone at the right pylon.

His score with :17.1 remaining, along with a two-point conversion, gave his club a 16-8 Homecoming Game victory.

With the win, Coach Joe Clark's club now sits at 2-3 on the season and in the Black Diamond Conference.

Hamilton County and head coach Rhet Vaughan saw their mark slip to 2-3 as well.

In a game marred by a windy, rainy day, that effected the play of both teams, the Eagles came up with the bigger plays to take home the win.

“We challenged the kids to go out and make a memory today,” said Coach Clark about the Homecoming Game. “The seniors, the Ham Co rivalry, they made a memory today. This was a heck of a finish, one of the best ones I've ever been involved with.”

Eldorado got 93-yards rushing from Rash and 99-yards on the ground from junior running back Kaiden Henson.

The 5-10 running back scored the game's first touchdown on the opening drive for the Eagles.

Senior back Jake Phelps added 43-yards rushing as the trio helped lead the hosts to a 239-213 ground attack advantage.

Hamilton County was topped in rushing by sophomore Celso Ramirez with 101-yards on 20-attempts.

Junior Braxton Miller added 80-yards on nine-carries.

The quarterback play for both teams was affected by the elements.

Jones for Eldorado hit on just 2-of-4 attempts for just 20-yards, with the 14-yard completion to Rash being the best of the two.

Hamilton County's senior QB Andrew Webb hit on 2-of-4 also for 37-yards.

Each quarterback threw an interception in the contest.

The best drive by either team came from the Eagles as they took the opening kickoff and went 51-yards in seven plays.

All seven were running plays with Henson scoring from two-yards out for the first points.

The two-point PAT run from Phelps made it 8-0 Eldorado with 8:35 left in the first quarter.

This would be the only points for the home team until the final seconds of the contest.

The Foxes can look to a missed opportunity on its first possession.

Hamilton County had the ball for 17-plays which carried through the end of the first quarter and into the second.

This drive unfortunately ended on a fourth down from the Eldorado 14.

Webb tried to get the yardage on an option pitch to Miller, who was met and tackled by Eldorado defender Ryne Cox, turning the ball back over to the Eagles at their own 13 with 9:39 left in the half.

(C0NTINUED)

The Foxes' drive, which lasted 10:56 of game clock, produced zero points.

Eldorado, after picking up five first downs on its opening drive, added four more on its next possession.

But a tipped ball on a pass intended for Rash ended up being intercepted by Hamilton County's Blane Eck (see photo) that stopped the Eagles' potential scoring march.

The two teams went to the break after Hamilton County's next drive stalled.

The Foxes' only points came on a their third play from scrimmage after taking the second half kickoff.

With the ball on its own 48 on third down, Miller took a hand-off from Webb on a counter play up the middle.

The junior runner made a move in the middle of the field to avoid a tackle then sprinted down the right sideline for a 52-yard touchdown.

The two-point conversion run by Ramirez evened the score at 8-8 with 10:38 left in the third quarter.

Eldorado got a big defensive play by sophomore linebacker Jayton Robinson to get the Eagles into scoring position in the third quarter.

Webb rolled out for a pass but his attempt was tipped and intercepted by Robinson, who returned it to the Hamilton County 48-yard line.

After a run by Rash got a first down, the Eagles were stopped on downs.

Rash was stopped short on a run down the left sideline and a official measurement by the chain gang showed the Eagles were just short.

The final touchdown came about after hosts pinned the Foxes back on their own 13 with just three minutes left.

Eldorado forced a final punt and moved down the field to set up the game-winner by Rash.

“We were able to pin them (Hamilton County) down inside the 20 and then forced them to punt,” said Coach Clark about the final drive. “We made some calls and our kids really executed. We finished the game the way you like to see a team finish.”

Hamilton County did get a big completion from Webb to Eck, who went out of bounds at the Eldorado 27 with :04.0 left.

On the final play Webb completed a short pass to Miller who was brought down at the Eagles' 22 as time expired.

“In the second half against Fairfield and the first half against Flora we played pretty well so we wanted to put a full game together both offensively and defensively,” said Coach Clark. “I know the weather was a bit of a situation for us today but overall we played pretty well and we found a way to outscore them.”

Both teams are still in postseason contention.

Each club will need three additional wins, two of which need to come on the field.

The Foxes host unbeaten Johnston City next Friday night while the Eagles get a forfeit win from Vienna/Goreville next weekend.

Hamilton County will get a forfeit in Week 9 and need to have four wins going into that final weekend.

“I'm glad for them (the kids) because it is really hard to win football games and they figured out a way to do it today and I'm proud of them,” said Coach Clark.