Del Sol running game overpowers Silverado

By Steve Silver (contact)

Friday, Oct. 31, 2008 | 12:45 a.m.

Unable to control their playoff seeding, the Del Sol Dragons did what they do best Thursday night against Silverado – run, run and run.

The Dragons rushed a whopping 50 times for 415 yards while grounding the Skyhawks, 28-21.

"It's a good feeling because Silverado is a very good team," Del Sol coach Preston Goroff said. "They are probably the best four-win team in a lot of places. It was good to establish the run, because when you get into the playoffs you need to establish the run. And if you can run against Silverado then you can run against pretty much anyone."

Senior running back Derek Eamon led the charge with 24 carries for 236 yards and three touchdowns.

Eamon scored the game's first two touchdowns on goal line carries to hand the Dragons a 14-0 lead late in the second quarter.

But Eamon's most significant carry came in the second half when he broke off a 45-yard run with 3:25 remaining in the third quarter to extend Del Sol's lead to 21-7 and crush any hopes Silverado had of a comeback.

"(Eamon) has an excellent work ethic," said fellow running back Jon Kirschbaum, who added 129 rushing yards on 11 carries. "He never takes a play off and just runs hard every play. I'm happy and proud to have him as a teammate."

Del Sol not only ran the ball well Thursday, but also shut down Silverado's ground game.

The Dragons held the Skyhawks to just 110 rushing yards on 21 carries. Silverado averaged nearly 175 rushing yards per game prior to facing Del Sol.

"We take pride in running the ball and stopping the run," Goroff said. "If you look at any successful program they do those two things well. We are firm believers in that."

Del Sol's staunch defense forced Silverado to rely on its passing attack in the second half, which was largely ineffective.

Skyhawks junior quarterback Kyle Simmons went 9-for-27 with 96 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception. Simmons did manage to connect with senior receiver Michael Wadsworth for a 4-yard touchdown with 25 seconds left in the game.

But after failing to recover the ensuing onside kick, Silverado's once-promising season, which started at 3-0, came to an abrupt end.

"It's a shame for the seniors to go out like this, but we were out-played by a tough team," Silverado coach Andy Ostolaza said.

The Dragons, however, have the playoffs to look forward to. Their punishing ground attack secured them the No. 3 seed in the Sunrise Region. The Dragons will travel to Rancho to face the Rams at 6 p.m. on Nov. 6.

Del Sol has lost in the past two conference championships and hopes history doesn't repeat itself this season.

"We need to work harder every day at practice and just focus on the next game," Kirschbaum said. "You can never look ahead because the one right in front of you could be your last."