Matchups between unspoken cross-town rivals El Dorado and Franklin turn into shootouts for 1-6A games year after year—this season being no exception to the rule.
Cedarious Barfield led the El Dorado Aztecs with 424 yards of total offense and seven total touchdowns as they defeated the Franklin Cougars (2-5, 1-3) 65-44 in a high-flying game.
“I felt like we executed on all three phases of the ball,” said Barfield, who in fact played offense, defense and special teams throughout the game. “Really proud of all of our team and the way we preformed tonight.”
Barfield started his campaign quickly, scoring back-to-back early touchdowns—one on the ground and one through the air—to give the Aztecs an early 14-0 lead.
Franklin responded to the second touchdown with a pass-and-catch touchdown from quarterback Matt Heifner to wideout Khatib Lyles for a 46-yard touchdown.
After another Barfield passing touchdown on the very next drive, the Aztecs chipped a short, unexpected onside kick, but Jojo Villagrana of Franklin was able to scoop it up, break a tackler and take it for a 46-yard kickoff touchdown.
This game was in for a back-and-forth pursuit when Franklin capitalized off an El Dorado blown coverage on their next possession, and cut the El Dorado lead, 21-20.
But it turned out to be the closest margin all game.
Before the half ended, Barfield orchestrated two more touchdown drives, one being a very impressive, 22-play, 88-yard drive to cap off the half, 34-23 in their favor.
“It started with a fake punt, something that we practice a lot and trust our players with,” head coach Ruben Torres said. “We had to believe in our team throughout that drive and made plays when we needed.”
Barfield finished the half with 224 yards of total offense and four touchdowns. The difference of the half, however, was the amount of plays being called by each team. The Aztecs ran a total of 59 plays offensively, while Franklin only ran 17 plays from scrimmage.
The second half begged for Franklin to make an attempt to comeback, but their defense let an early touchdown by El Dorado to spread the scoring margin even more. On the very next kickoff though, Franklin’s Taj Crenshaw returned the kick for an 88-yard touchdown, which chipped at the El Dorado lead, 42-30.
Even after El Dorado scored another touchdown, Franklin still had time to get back into the game, but standout running back for the Cougars Seth Dominguez fumbled the ball off a handoff.
Both teams exchanged punts and Franklin scored two touchdowns late when the game was out of reach, but it was no matter because El Dorado would actually return a kickoff for a touchdown of their own, making it 63-44.
Photo: Adrian Broaddus/TexasHSFootball.com
The game totaled an extremely unusual three kickoff returns for touchdowns, as special teams decided a lot of the game.
Nonetheless, it was truly Barfield’s outstanding performance that shined above all in this game.
“I’m proud of him,” Torres said. “Proud of his decision making. He waited for the right opportunities and he executed when we needed it.”
Torres and the Aztecs have now won three of their last four games, and probably earned a spot in the 1-6A playoffs with the win over Franklin.
“Thought we played good overall,” Torres said. “Offense worked all the way and we kept doing what we’ve been doing in practice.”
Now in control of their own destiny, El Dorado will have a quick turnaround and face Coronado next week. A win could solidify a third, even second place, for the team.
“We got a huge one against Coronado. They’re really physical upfront, so we have to really look at some film at practice and prepare for them next week,” Torres said.
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