Texas high school football is BACK, and it feels…great!
Senior Eastlake quarterback Sebastian Rendon and senior running back Elijah Uribe put on a football clinic at the Socorro Activities Complex as the Falcons defeated the El Dorado Aztecs, 48 to 14.
The Falcons wasted no time whatsoever in setting the tone of the contest.
After Uribe returned the opening kickoff 67 yards, Eastlake found the end zone minutes later with a 24-yard TD strike from Uribe to senior wideout Anthony Moreno at the 11:09 mark in the first quarter.
Later in the first quarter, a 12-play, 93-yard drive culminated in 20-yard pass from Rendon to Uribe with 5:06 remaining, giving the Falcons a 14-0 lead.
El Dorado responded late in the first quarter with a 31-yard TD pas from senior quarterback Ricardo Portillo to senior WR Andre Thomas, cutting the Falcons lead to 14-7 with 1:23 remaining.
Eastlake capped off the first quarter with a 49-yard TD pass from Rendon to senior wideout Anthony Moreno with :19 remaining. The ensuing point after touchdown failed, making the score 20-7 at the end of the first quarter.
The El Dorado defense settled down and slowed the Falcons’ advance in the second quarter. A lone touchdown drive late in the quarter, a two-play, 58-yard drive, culminating in a 44-yard TD strike from Rendon to senior wide receiver Aidan Bautista with 2:22 remaining, brought the first half to a close with the Falcons leading comfortably, 27-7.
El Dorado opened the second half with a drive that stalled on the Aztec 36-yard line. After turning the ball over on downs, the Falcons sealed a 5-play, 69-yard drive with a 57-yard touchdown pass from Rendon to Uribe with 8:27 remaining and widening their lead to 34-7.
The game turned into a bit of a defensive struggle briefly as neither team found paydirt for the next two drives. An Aztec fumble with 5:28 remaining gave the Falcons the ball on their own 24-yard line. The El Dorado defense responded again, and the Aztec offense took over, culminating in a well-executed 9-play, 84-yard touchdown drive as Portillo tossed an 18-yard TD pass to freshman RB Isaiah Rudison with 1:28 remaining in the third quarter. The third quarter ended with Eastlake leading 34 to 14.
The fourth quarter belonged to the Eastlake Falcons as they controlled the ball and the clock. An 18-yard TD pass from Rendon to Uribe with 10:34 remaining put the game out of reach, 41-14. The Falcons sealed the game with a 5-yard TD run by junior RB Jeremiah Escamilla.
Although the Aztecs showed signs of life throughout the contest, the Eastlake combination of Rendon and Uribe was simply too much for El Dorado to overcome.
Final score: Eastlake 48, El Dorado 14.
Ryan Adams, Tony Grijalva and Ace Acosta Reporting