Blackhawks swoop in to ElDo for victory

by Head Coach Kelley Beckner

The El Dorado Springs football season ended on Friday night against a familiar foe in Versailles. It was the third year in a row Versailles has ended ElDo’s year.

The game started out to look like a dandy. Teams exchanged possessions and scores, with momentum shifting towards Versailles at the end of the first half.

After the break it seemed momentum would remain on their side as they would continue to pull away to a 49-22 victory. The Bulldogs’ final season record for the 2019 season is 4-6.

I am proud of this team and am proud to be leader of this program. These young men grew an extreme amount over the course of this year.

At one point in the game on Friday we had two freshman and a sophomore on the defensive line. That is tough for any team in any situation. We had young kids step up all year. We had players start out playing JV level finishing the year at the varsity level. And that is what you want to see within a program, is growth.

I also believe we will continue to grow this offseason as many underclassmen are still hungry. I am sad and anxious all at the same time. As a coach, I wish I could have had this group of seniors for more than one year. I feel we could have done so much more with more time. However, that is not what the big guy upstairs had in mind. I am blessed to have been able to coach them for the year we were together. They will remain a part of this program forever.

Those feelings of the seniors leaving is what makes me sad. The anxious feelings I have are for the growth of the program overall, we will see this offseason going into next year. It will take a lot of work and effort but if we want to be a part of something special we have to earn it.

We have All-Conference Selections picked but I am not able to release those names at this time. When all teams within the conference are done playing those names and awards will be announced. As I gather more information on post-season awards I will be sure to post those as well.

CATCH IT IF YOU CAN – Bulldog Ian Esry, running neck and neck with the Versailles defender, looks back for the pass from Bulldog Quarterback Clayton Collins.

Thank you to everyone this football season. It has been a tremendous honor serving the community as Head Football Coach. I will continue to grow this program into something you all will be proud on and off the field.