Placer’s punishing ground attack pounds El Dorado

AUBURN — El Dorado's difficult task Friday against host Placer was to find a way to slow down the Hillmen, the state's highest-scoring team through the first three weeks of the prep football season. Unfortunately for the Cougars, they didn't have an answer as Placer rolled to a 55-13 nonleague victory.

Though the score didn't show it, El Dorado had some success against the Hillmen with an up-tempo game that moved the ball. That didn't stop the Hillmen, who raced out to a 41-point halftime lead.

"This was a hard game. We wanted the kids to come out and have fun," Cougar coach Dale Kasnic said.

The Hillmen have dominated the Cougars in their last five games and Friday was no different. Placer opened with an onside kick but the Cougars were ready and Clayton Van Duyn pounced on the ball.

El Dorado's offense charged up the field but the drive was stopped in its tracks by two penalties and a sack. After the punt, Placer needed four plays to score on Peter Denham 37-yard quarterback keeper. Cougar Alex Stone, who made numerous tackles on the evening, turned away the Hillmen's conversion attempt.

Placer scored again on its next possession when Denham hit wideout Anthony Hess for a 50-yard score. El Dorado got a scare when Gabe Derilo was injured on the kickoff but he walked off the field and returned several plays later.

A Cougar fumble led to Brad Spangler's 5-yard touchdown run. El Dorado tried to answer but a field-goal attempt was blocked. With 8:28 left in the first half, the Hillmen scored on a 35-yard sweep and then again as Spangler shot down the left side on a 62-yard touchdown run.

Trying to overcome a huge deficit, the Cougars finally got on the scoreboard as quarterback Travis Vincent saw Derilo streaking down the right sideline. Derilo timed the pass perfectly, sped up for the catch, spun to freeze the defender and ambled into the end zone for six points.

"We started strong," Derilo said. "We moved the ball and got things going.”

Although Stone and Gavin Zirbel stopped Placer for several plays, the Hillmen still countered twice before halftime on Michael Robinson's 5-yard run and later when Hess returned a fumble recovery 34 yards for a 48-7 advantage.

The Cougars used Derilo, Vincent and junior Christian Wisniewski at quarterback Friday. Wisniewski's return followed a two-game absence and late in the first half he stepped in and rifled two pass completions.

“I want to do my part and help lead the team,” Wisniewski said.

The refs signaled a running clock in the second half. The Hillmen scored just seven more points but still dominated with their running game. El Dorado did put together a successful drive with Vincent at quarterback and Travis Allec and Kyle Blankenbiller running the ball. Vincent found Andrew Countryman for 13 yards and Donovan Bell at the 15, from where he finessed his way into the end zone.

El Dorado resumes the Sierra Valley Conference schedule Friday at Cosumnes Oaks.