El Dorado’s ninth grade football team put a bow on a perfect season Tuesday, winning at Hot Springs Lakeside 19-7 in the finale. The Wildcats finished 11-0.
“That’s a huge accomplishment to win every game you play. People coach for years and years and play and never get to experience that,” said El Dorado senior head coach Chris Hill. “It’s a huge accomplishment for those guys. We knew they had a chance to really be good. One thing I’m most proud of is they battled through some guys who were hurt. They lost starters who were hurt or sick and they never missed a beat. Just next man up and that’s the mentality they took and ended up having a great season.”
Freshman coach Jerry Stegall said the Wildcats’ perfect season began in the off-season.
“This team has been special from day one. They come in day-in and day-out and work. That work started in the weight room back during the summer and carried over to the practice field. This team is hard to hold back because they want to get after it every single day. They just work hard,” he said.
“They found themselves in some close games but they battled. It’s not in their nature to back down or crumble. They find ways to win. They make it happen. I’m excited to see how they go on to perform during the off-season. There has been so much growth for them this season. It's going to be exciting to watch them continue to build on that. It was just an awesome season.”
Hill said some of the ninth graders might get to dress out with the senior varsity in the playoffs.
“We’ll give them the option. We’ll get them out there next week and let them see what varsity practice is like. There are some guys there that, with time, could probably help us out there on Friday night.”