The Ellsworth Panthers defeated the Prescott Cardinals in Ellsworth Friday night by a score of 40-34.

With nearly 75 points scored, it’s surprising that the score was 6-3 in favor of Prescott near the end of the first half. Running back Barrett Temmers scored a 1-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter and Ellsworth got on the board with a field goal, but that was the extent of things until the Panthers forced a fumble near midfield halfway through the second quarter.

The drive looked like a quintessential 3 and out, but a surprise punt fake resulted in a 41-yard carry by running back Braydon Anderson who took it all the way to the 24-yard line.

The Panthers kept relentlessly pounding the ball all the way to a 1^st and goal from the 1-yard line. With 2:45 left in the half, Anderson got it across the goal line and the score became 10-6 in favor of Ellsworth.

A sort of mirror image drive ensued for Prescott. With the clock ticking away, and the Cardinals looking at a 3^rd and long, Prescott quarterback Teddy Bernick unloaded a deep shot 27 yards downfield to wide receiver Nolan Thomley for a first down and then some as Ellsworth was also hit with a face mask call, placing Prescott on the 27-yard line.

Two downs later, Bernick tucked the ball and used his legs to get the conversion, this time setting up 1^st and goal from the 2-yard line. Temmers got the ball and plunged it in to take a 12-10 lead going into halftime after missing the two-point conversion attempt.

On the first play of the half for Ellsworth, Coen Hinrichs broke out for a 69-yard rush downfield that should easily have been a touchdown if it weren’t for the fleet footed defensive back/wide receiver Kobe Russell who ran the length of the football field and tackled him just short of the goal line to save the touchdown. Unfortunately for Cardinals fans, it didn’t matter as Anderson pushed in another score and got the 2-point conversion to take the lead, 18-12.

Prescott looked like they were going to have to punt it away again on the following drive at 4^th and 6, but they stayed aggressive and handed the ball off to Temmers who secured the first down. That’s when a quick slant to wide receiver Will Packard changed the game as he shook defenders, zigged and zagged his way 53 yards to the end zone, bringing the score to 20-18 after the 2-point conversion reception by Russell.

With 4:34 left in the third quarter, Ellsworth took the kickoff and returned it 30 yards downfield, giving themselves excellent field position from the Prescott 38-yard line. The Panthers relentlessly rushed the ball until time ran out in the quarter, leaving them sitting on the 16-yard line looking at a 1^st and 10 as time expired.

The fourth quarter was the definition of a shootout. Less than 2:00 into the final frame, Ellsworth scored the first of five total touchdowns that would occur, taking the lead 26-20.

Temmers put on a show on the kickoff return, making two defenders miss and carrying the ball out to the 36-yard line. A couple plays later, Bernick dropped back on a 1^st and 10 from the 46 and delivered a jump ball down the sideline for Russell who played it perfectly, stopping short, going up and securing the reception. The Panthers defense stepped up though, with multiple sacks and forced a turnover on downs with 7:58 remaining.

Anderson broke free yet again on the first play after the kickoff, nearly taking it all the way except for the very last Prescott defender reaching out and barely catching his leg. Ellsworth proceeded to drain the clock as much as possible, and with 3:38 left in regulation, Anderson pushed it in once again taking a 34-20 lead.

That’s when things started happening really fast.

In the next 42 seconds, Ellsworth forced the turnover and secured yet another rushing touchdown but missed the 2-point conversion to go up 40-20.

Prescott went with a hurry up offense and quickly marched downfield and scored as well, shrinking the lead to 40-27 while using less than 1:00 of clock to do so. The Cardinals then lined up for the desperation play of an onside kick, which they recovered and thus retained possession. Forty seconds later they had another touchdown, making it 40-34.

This time, however, the onside kick was unsuccessful, but the Cardinal defense held, and they got the ball back with 16 seconds left on their own 39-yard line.

In these situations, teams need to be perfect to do the impossible. Prescott went 95% of the way to a comeback, but a dropped pass on this final sequence stalled them. Bernick was forced to throw deeper on the next two throws because of it, and he finally threw an interception which ended the game.

It was a wild finish for both sides. For the Cardinals, Bernick said there are some things that they need to work on, but the silver lining is the final score.

“It really came down to execution on the big plays and just the little things, like simple reads and blocking on the perimeter,” Bernick said. “The best part of tonight is that we didn’t give up. We were down 20 with two minutes left, and we fought back.”

This Friday is the final week of Middle Border Conference play, and Prescott needs a win to secure a playoff spot. They may have drawn the short straw though as they will return home to host the first place Rice Lake Warriors. Head Coach Jordan Hansen said the offense is ready, but they need to get the defensive line shorn up this week in practice if they’re going to beat such a formidable team.

“Offensively, we kind of shot ourselves in the foot on a few drives tonight, but, for the most part, we’ll take 34 points from our offense,” Hansen said. “We just need to be more physical up front and stop the run. We’re getting manhandled right now. Rice Lake is coming at us next week, so we need to figure that out.”

For Ellsworth, this win goes a long way to securing their playoff chances. Anderson said that, although the result was good, they should never have let the score get that close.

“It was a good performance, but it was a sloppy ending. We got too comfortable. Next week, we’ve got to lock in if we’re ahead and keep that lead,” Anderson said. “When everyone does their job, we can run the ball, move the ball, do everything we can. But everyone has got a piece to do.”

Switching quarterbacks midseason is never easy, but the Panthers got another big win behind Stoltenburg Friday night.

“The key tonight was staying physical up front, leading behind our offensive line and then just working off of that play action,” Stoltenburg said. “The main struggle for me probably is just not being as big, fast and strong yet, like the physical attributes, but I think everything else is there. I’ve just got to build myself for the next couple of years. I'm excited, though. We’ve got a couple sophomores stepping up, the future’s really good.”