Eamon propels Dragons over Rancho

By Jared Harmon (contact)

Saturday, Nov. 8, 2008 | 12:45 a.m.

Del Sol's Derek Eamon rushed for 285 yards and five touchdowns Friday night to lead the Dragons to a 72-47 victory against host Rancho in the Sunrise Regional quarterfinals.

Rancho passed for 444 yards, but Eamon and Del Sol's ground attack were too much as they advanced to the regional semifinals for the third straight year. Del Sol will play Basic at 7 p.m. next Friday.

"That kid is a stud," Del Sol coach Preston Goroff said of Eamon. "There aren't many like him. He's a great running back and a great kid."

Del Sol struggled to contain Rancho's quarterback, James Cammack, who led Southern Nevada in passing yards with 2,951. In the end, Eamon, with the help of the Dragons' offensive line, continued to pound the ball up the field wearing the Rams' defense down and keeping Cammack on the sideline.

"The offensive line was fantastic tonight," Eamon said. "I could have driven a truck through the holes they gave me. They helped me get going and once I get going that opens the door for (fullback) Jon Kirschbaum. Once Kirschbaum gets going that opens it up for (tailback) Earnest Hall. We just build off each other."

While Goroff was happy to pick up the win, he said he'll need to see more out of his defense if the Dragons are going to continue through the playoffs.

Despite the lop-sided score, the Rams were actually within striking distance (51-41) with five minutes left in the fourth quarter.

"We made some stops when we needed to but overall I wasn't too happy," Goroff said. "We have to get grounded and refocus. You're only as good as your last game and this game wasn't so hot. We had some nice picks that swung the momentum in our favor but we're going to need more than that."

The Dragons intercepted four of Cammack's passes and returned two for touchdowns. The first, a 76-yard return from senior Evan Weinstock, proved to be a key moment in the game, shifting the momentum to the Dragons where it would remain until the final buzzer.

"I was just trying to stay with my guy and I got in front of him," Weinstock said. "I pulled the ball down and wasn't really sure how much open space was behind me. I ran as hard as I could until I hit end zone. It feels great. Hopefully we can keep this going into next week."

Jared Harmon can be reached at 990-8922 or jared.harmon@hbcpub.com.