Chaparral rallies late to win Cleat Game against Eldorado

The Cleat Game rivalry between the Chaparral and Eldorado football teams produced a classic finish tonight.

Chaparral won 12-7, but only after its defense came up with a goal line stand with four minutes to play to keep the Cowboys in the game.

Keimaria Cooley connected with Jaiden Fraijo for the game-winning touchdown with less than a minute remaining to give Chaparral the win in a rivalry dating back to the 1970s.

The touchdown was also the first time Chaparral had the lead.

“We were in so many situations where we needed to do something amazing to pull the game off,” Chaparral coach Thomas Hess said. “The kids came through in some situations where the odds weren’t in their favor.”

That starts with the Chaparral defense being pinned down at its 1-yard line and facing a first down play. Lucky Laolagi broke through the Eldorado line to lay a tough hit on the Eldorado runner to push the opposition back a few yards.

“Lucky came through on a blitz and really smacked him,” Hess said. “That changed the momentum. That got us going.”

A few plays later, Eldorado missed a field to give Chaparral more life.

On the game winning drive, Cooley converted a fourth down play when he rushed for about 15 yards to narrowly keep the game going with a first down, Hess said.

“What an insane game,” the coach said. “...This game is important for our alumni, our staff and our kids. We were happy to bring (the cleat) back to them.”