El Dorado blanks Irvine, secures playoff berth

El Dorado football players dominated the field Thursday night in Placentia, defeating Irvine 41-0 to secure a guaranteed spot in the CIF-SS playoffs. The shutout marked the Golden Hawks' fourth straight victory and capped their regular-season campaign at Valencia High School. The team finished with an 8-2 record overall and a 4-1 mark in league play. This result locked up at least second place in the Foxtrot League. First-place Orange leads the league with a 9-0 record and a 4-0 league slate. The Golden Hawks' only league defeat came against the Orange County school at the start of conference play.

Head coach Zack LaMonda described the team's approach to the final week of the regular season. He told players that a win would guarantee postseason entry. “It’s like I told the kids, if we win tonight, it’s guaranteed, you know, us in the playoffs,” LaMonda said. He characterized the upcoming week with a mantra of one win per week. “So 1-0 (each week), that’s kind of the enthusiasm, it’s going to be the mantra next week,” he added.

Quarterback Hudson Shaddow led the offensive attack against the Vaqueros. He completed 13 of 15 pass attempts for 253 yards and four touchdowns. Receiver Justin Karg contributed eight catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns. Darius Selway carried the ball for 91 yards on the ground. Mason Shackleton and Brock Whitten also scored touchdowns on passes from Shaddow. The Golden Hawks defense controlled the contest, forcing three turnovers. Darian Njoku intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown. Bryce Vinson blocked a punt, which linebacker Micah Cavalluzzi recovered in the end zone for a special teams score. Cavalluzzi recorded five tackles for loss during the game.

LaMonda praised Cavalluzzi's intensity and demeanor on the field. “You know, he’s all gas, no brakes. It’s fun to coach him, but it’s probably more fun to watch him,” LaMonda said. “He’s 100 miles an hour all the time, and he does it with intensity, but he always has a smile on his face.” The Vaqueros, who finished 6-4 overall and 2-3 in league play, generated their best scoring threat on the opening drive. Quarterback Gavin Furr ran for 11 yards and later completed a 33-yard pass to Enzo Cahoon. The drive stalled at the El Dorado 17-yard line after a fourth-down fumble was recovered by Christian Boyce.

LaMonda noted that the defense targeted Irvine's running game, specifically their back Seamus Hoffman. “Their back (Seamus Hoffman) is really good and that was our goal, to shut down the run game,” LaMonda said. “They hit us with some stuff early, but it was kind of a bend don’t break mentality.” The Golden Hawks now begin their postseason bid next week. LaMonda expressed a desire for his senior players to continue their careers with one additional game at a time. “I want these seniors to have another Monday practice,” he said. “I want these seniors to have another game, and we’ve got a really good group of juniors and a really good group of sophomores that want that for them too.”

He added that younger players understand the future roles they will fill. “Because they understand that a year from now or two years from now, that it’s going to be the other sophomores, other juniors that are going to be needed,” LaMonda said. “That’s what we want, one more game.”