PEARCY - El Dorado had a feisty challenge in the final regular-season 5A South matchup on Tuesday. The Lady Wildcats held off Lake Hamilton 4-3 and will be the No. 3 seed in next week’s 5A State Soccer Tournament.
In most sports, looking ahead is a bad idea. High school track and field isn’t most sports.
El Dorado coach John Koonce has led the Lady Wildcats to back-to-back 5A state championships. This week isn’t the state meet but the state meet is what’s on Koonce’s mind as El Dorado travels to Lake Hamilton on Tuesday for the 5A South Conference Championships.
He’s not alone.
El Dorado’s girls soccer team enjoyed an 18-2 season last year, including a conference championship and a run to the 5A state semifinals. And then graduation happened.
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HOT SPRINGS – El Dorado cross country coach John Koonce said of Hot Springs Lakeside runner Joseph Bariola, “Joe’s a beast, man. He’s a beast.”
Tuesday at the 5A South Championships at Essex Golf Course in Hot Springs, the beast had to track down El Dorado junior Zach McMillon before winning the senior high boys’ 5000-meter race by a mere second.
It was a day for career-best performances for El Dorado, which finished fourth in senior boys, junior boys and junior girls. McMillon and Lady Wildcat Corin Melear earned senior high All-Conference while Julian Marquez claimed the individual championship in the junior high boys’ race.