El Dorado’s winning plight
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Anthony Laurenzi of El Dorado had 16 sacks last season -- among the best in the Southern Section -- and he’s well on his way to matching that total this season. Laurenzi, a senior, had five of his team’s seven sacks in its 10-0 victory Friday over Dana Hills. He also had a sack last week against Esperanza, a team that a year ago shut him out, although that’s not surprising because Esperanza was such a run-oriented team.
El Dorado’s schedule seems so completely lackluster, does anyone know how good the Golden Hawks really are? In 2006, El Dorado played only one nonleague opponent whose record was more than two games over .500: Esperanza, which beat El Dorado, 32-14.
El Dorado then beat Dana Hills, 10-7, and went on to finish 13-1; Dana Hills went on to finish 5-6.
It will be interesting to see how El Dorado’s showing against Dana Hills compares with the Dolphins’ other opponents. Dana Hills’ nonleague schedule makes El Dorado’s look like child’s play.
Dana Hills has already lost to Orange Lutheran, 28-7, and will play Los Alamitos, Loyola and Newport Harbor before beginning South Coast League action.
El Dorado will next play Fullerton, Placentia Valencia and Glendora.
When the playoffs begin in 10 weeks, El Dorado may well be 9-1, and Dana Hills could be 3-7 or 4-6. Yet the two teams aren’t that far off from one another. One will get considered for OC Top 10 status, the other won’t get a sniff. One may well win another Southwest Division championship, the other is trying to earn a third-place playoff berth in a tough league in an even tougher division.
That’s why I have such a tough time really appreciating what El Dorado is doing. Along with Troy, in particular, ED hasn’t shown a real willingness to step outside its comfort zone (apart from Esperanza, which is more than Troy can claim). The game El Dorado should be looking to make is Los Alamitos, which has no business playing Coachella Valley and Santa Monica; El Dorado would provide a stiffer opponent for the Griffins, and Los Alamitos could provide credibility for the Golden Hawks, because they badly need it.
- Martin Henderson