EL DORADO -- El Dorado rallied from a 14-0 fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime with Little Rock Parkview Friday night, and the Wildcats won it -- 17-14 -- when Trent Harter kicked a 26-yard field goal at Memorial Stadium.
El Dorado (6-4, 4-3 in 6A-South) earned the No. 4 seed when the Class 6A state playoffs begin next week. The Patriots (5-5, 3-4) are the fifth seed.
Injured quarterback Kawon Love, who left the game with a lacerated thumb after three quarters, re-entered the game at tailback to score on a 1-yard run with 28 seconds left in regulation to send the game into the overtime.
Backup quarterback John Sixbey led El Dorado on drives of 86 and 89 yards in the final period after the Wildcats had three first downs in the first three quarter.
Sixbey threw an 18-yard touchdown pass Maketrion Shelton with 5:19 left in the game. Harter's extra point cut the deficit to 14-7.
Parkview recovered an onside kick, but El Dorado's defense forced a punt, which was downed at its 11 with 2:28 to play.
Sixbey completed passes to Gemetre Miller for 11, Dadraques Harris for 4 and 7, with a late hit tacked on to the second catch. Sixbey hit Miller for 12. Two plays later, he found Aaron Gaul for 12 to the 20 Harris caught an 8-yard pass and Miller's 2-yard run gave El Dorado a first-and-goal at the 10.
A pass to Harris in the end zone was ruled incomplete before Sixbey, under pressure, sailed his second-down pass out of the end zone, drawing an intentional grounding flag, which moved it back to the 15. On third down, Sixbey scrambled for 14 yards, diving to the 1-yard line.
El Dorado called timeout and Love entered the game at tailback. He took the handoff and then bounced outside, running around left end into the end zone.
"It was just the formation we were in," Love said "I'm usually in so ... I just went."
Harter's extra tied the game with 28 seconds left. Even the extra point had drama as the Wildcats used back-up deep snapper Ethan Burroff.
The Patriots got the ball first to start the OT. Koilan Jackson was dropped for a 4-yard loss by Christian Jefferson on the first play. Jackson lobbed a pass into the end zone on second down, but it was knocked away. Jackson's third-down pass was incomplete, forcing the Patriots to try a 31-yard field goal. But, Ronaldo Gomez' kick was wide left.
Harter trotted onto the field after a 1-yard sneak by Sixbey put El Dorado in position. Burroff's snap was perfect and Harter booted the 26 yarder through the upright.
TEXARKANA 42, SHERIDAN 8
TEXARKANA — Texarkana (6-4, 3-4) secured its spot in the Class 6A playoffs and notched their first winning season under Coach Todd Ledford after routing Sheridan (2-8, 1-6) at Razorback Stadium.
Texarkana senior running back Andrew Bishop ran for 246 yards and four touchdowns, including a 98-yard run at the end of the first quarter and a 56-yard run in which he broke four tackles.
Sports on 11/08/2014