On Friday, Oct. 1, the Ellsworth Panthers football team will host the visiting Prescott Cardinals for their homecoming game, the results of which will have playoff implications that could impact the rest of the season for both teams, including potentially deciding the Middle Border Conference champion.

No shortage of high stakes football inevitably comes around near the end of September and early October of the high school football season. As teams throughout Wisconsin make their bid to be a playoff team, a clash of two of the best teams in western Wisconsin is slated for Friday night in Ellsworth at 7 p.m.

The Panthers are currently tied with Prescott for first place in the Middle Border Conference. Both teams are a perfect 4-0 in conference play this season. One of them will go home Friday night with their first loss of the conference schedule. With only three weeks remaining in the season, two after the contest on Oct 1., the winner of the Middle Border Conference will likely be the winner of Friday night’s game.

For Ellsworth, under the direction of head coach Rob Heller, the Panthers are scoring exactly 50 points per game this season. The Panthers’ offensive damage has been done primarily through the rushing attack led by senior running back Max Grand. Ellsworth has scored 29 touchdowns for the 2021 season, 22 of them have been rushing touchdowns. If Prescott wants to have any chance of at least slowing down a potent Ellsworth offense, they will have to have their defense play at a high level on Friday night. Coach Heller spoke about the upcoming matchup against Prescott.

“We have some stuff to work on and build on and hopefully come out firing on all cylinders next week against Prescott,” Heller said. “That’s a big rivalry game for us. It’s been a dog fight with them every year since I’ve been up here. It’s a classic rivalry game. Those kids bump into each other all summer long. We have to make sure we take care of business, execute our game plan, take care of the football and let the chips fall where they may.”

Although all of the attention will be placed on Ellsworth as the second-ranked team in Wisconsin for Division 4 football, Prescott deserves respect as well. The Cardinals will go into the game with a 5-1 record overall and a 4-0 record in Middle Border Conference action. Head coach Jordan Hansen spoke about his 4-0 record in conference play.

“Our 4-0 record is a testament to the work that athletes have put in during the offseason,” Hansen said. “Showing up for lifting and buying into doing the right things have gotten us to where we’re at. It’s awesome to be 4-0 and we look forward to the challenge that lies ahead with our three remaining games. Our next three opponents have a combined one loss, so we will get a good measuring stick of where we stand as a program and if we can take that next leap.”

That next leap would be competing with and potentially winning against powerhouse Middle Border Conference programs like the Ellsworth Panthers and Osceola Chieftains.

As previously noted, Ellsworth has a dynamic offense that likely won’t be stopped by anyone. At best, it could potentially be briefly contained. If any team in the Middle Border Conference were going to do it, the numbers say it would be the Prescott Cardinals.

According to data from Wissports, the best defense in the Middle Border Conference is Prescott’s. The Cardinals have given up only 33 points in four conference games this season. That’s better than Ellsworth, which has given up 41, and Osceola, which has given up 57 points.

The Friday night homecoming matchup will be strength against strength – Ellsworth’s high-scoring, dynamic offense against Prescott’s stout defense. The winner of that contest will have a one-game lead in the conference standings with two weeks remaining in the regular season, likely sealing the deal on a Middle Border Conference championship.

The highly anticipated matchup between Ellsworth and Prescott is slated to get underway at 7 p.m. in Ellsworth.