Har-Ber handles El Dorado

El Dorado certainly had its opportunities. Although just looking at the 42-13 final margin, people who weren't at Friday's game might find that hard to believe.
But, El Dorado led 7-0 after one quarter and could've easily been up 14-0 or at least 10-0. The Wildcats dominated nationally ranked Springdale Har-Ber so much in the first quarter, the local media called into their office to keep them on alert for the upset.
But, the squandered opportunities came back to haunt the Wildcats after Har-Ber found a soft spot in the middle of the defense. Har-Ber began running power counters up the gut and El Dorado never found a way to stop it.
The final score is unfortunate because the game was much more competitive than that.
El Dorado fans who want to blame the officiating? Well, you can if you'd like. There were certainly a few calls for the home team from the Fort Smith officiating crew.
Then again, did you really expect to drive five hours and play the 7A state champion on its home field and get favorable calls, too. There's a reason it's called homefield advantage. Hopefully, El Dorado will enjoy that same advantage next season.
Yeah, I saw the obvious holding on Har-Ber's first touchdown. An El Dorado defender was held so clearly, his jersey was stretched like a beach blanket.
No, no flag was thrown. There was also no flag thrown on a late hit on the quarterback. No flag was thrown on an interception when the El Dorado receiver was being bumped. And, I swear, from my angle it looked like both El Dorado field goals were good, although the officials ruled otherwise.
Again, El Dorado fans can blame the officials if they'd like.
The referees didn't drop three passes. The referees didn't let a punt bounce for 65 yards. The referees didn't sail a snap over the punter's head. Finally, the refs weren't opening up cavernous holes in the middle of El Dorado's defense.
You're not going to get the benefit of the whistles every Friday night. El Dorado had to overcome the refs at times last year. The Wildcats will have to do it this year, too. That's just part of the game.
Thankfully, El Dorado's players and coaches know that. That's why they're studying the film and looking at their own mistakes and not the officials'.
Another thing Wildcat fans, learn when to make noise during a game. You don't start screaming, "Let's go, Cats!" when the offense is at the line of scrimmage. In case you didn't know, El Dorado uses a no-huddle offense. This means they call the plays at the line. This means when you make noise when they're at the line of scrimmage, it's hard for them to hear the play that's being called.
By the way, the Wildcats should get back on stride this week against Magnolia. El Dorado won't play a better team than Har-Ber the rest of the year. And, although you can't tell it by the final score, the Wildcats showed they do belong on the field with the 13th ranked team in USA Today.