After remaining undefeated through conference play with last Friday night’s win at Somerset, the Ellsworth Panthers are your 2020 Middle Border Conference (MBC) Champions.

The Panther’s offensive line dominated the Spartans all night and junior running back Max Grand ran all over their defense, finishing with 264 yards on just 12 carries. Grand found the endzone four times in the 33-8 victory that is believed to be Ellsworth’s first win coming at Somerset.

Coming into last week’s matchup, Ellsworth was ranked third in Division Four behind Catholic Memorial and Wrightstown. Fellow MBC opponent Saint Croix Central, who fell to the Panthers 26-22 at Fuller-Symes Field in week three, came in ranked 10th in Division Four.

This week’s opponent, New Richmond, was ranked ninth in Division Three with a 2-2 record. They fell to Menomonie 42-0 in week two and lost to Hudson in their next game, 34-14. The Tigers defeated commonopponent Baldwin-Woodville (BW) last week 31-7, who Ellsworth recently defeated, 43-0.

Grand started the game with a 12-yard carry before junior wide receiver Jack Janke put the first points on the scoreboard. Senior quarterback Mason Anderson hit Janke running towards the sidelines about 15 yards down field and Janke was off to the races for a 51-yard touchdown. Chase Snyder’s extra point sailed through the uprights to make it a 7-0 ballgame with 11:27 to play in the first.

Junior Ryan Matzek was joined by Grand and sophomore linebacker Jurrell Gooden in the backfield to stop the Spartans for a loss of one yard on the first play. The Spartans moved the ball a short way down the field before the Panthers forced a fourth down with five yards to go. Sophomore defensive lineman Carson Nugent came up big with a quarterback sack to give the Panthers the ball back.

On the first play, Grand took a handoff to the right, followed his blockers, found a hole and took off for a 69-yard touchdown.

In just three plays of offense, the Panthers led 13-0 with 4:51 remaining in the first quarter.

The Spartans got the ball back and chipped away down the field with short runs before it was fourth down with four yards to go inside of Ellsworth’s 30-yard line. The Spartans ran a sweep to the right, but sophomore Bo Hines came up big with a tackle for no gain.

The Panthers got the ball back. On third down with just one to go, Anderson kept the ball up the middle behind the line and ran over the Spartan’s middle linebacker for a four-yard gain and first down.

The Spartans intercepted a pass shortly after and ate up clock as they slowly pushed the ball down the field.

On the last play of the half, Matzek hit the quarterback as he released the ball towards the endzone. The pass did not seem affected, but sophomore defensive back Jack Voelker, wearing a club on one hand, made a great play on the ball and intercepted it in the endzone to end the first half scoreless for the Spartans.

The Panthers got the ball after a failed fourth down conversion around midfield and junior running back Ashten Quade wasted no time moving the ball towards the end zone with a 16-yard carry to the 15-yard line.

Grand took the next handoff to the right and found the endzone, but a penalty pushed the Panthers back and brought up second down with 25-yards to go.

Grand wanted the endzone and he found it once more, this time on a sweep to the right for 30 yards.

The Panthers led 21-0 after Grand also found the endzone on the two-point conversion.

Ellsworth’s defense continued to play tough, mostly giving up short gains. The Panthers made it through the third quarter maintaining their shutout and Grand started the fourth quarter with another long touchdown run, this one from 67-yards. The Panthers offensive line opened up a nice hole and Grand went untouched across the field to make it a 27-0 ballgame.

The Spartans got on the board with a 6yard touchdown pass that got tipped before being caught by another receiver. A two-point conversion made it 27-8 with 5:07 left to play.

The Panthers took their longest possession of the game and scored after a quick three minutes to widen their lead after Quade found six more points on a 3-yard run.

The Panthers became the undefeated Middle Border Conference champions with another dominant victory, 33-8.

Ellsworth made it a theme this season to dominate the trenches. Without overwhelming size on either side of both lines, the Panthers showed up and gave it their all every game. Coach Rob Heller cited the next-manup mentality after the game and before a jug of water was emptied over his head.

“These guys just keep showing up,” Heller said. “We kind of got bit by a few injuries this week. We had four sophomores starting on the offensive line tonight against a Somerset team with tremendous tradition. They’re coached by a great staff and for sophomores to come out here and have explosive plays like we had in the first half, it says a lot about these young men.”

The Panthers defense has adapted this season, facing a multitude of different looks. Heller credits their ability to adjust to different looks not only to the hard work they put in studying film and on the practice field, but to the experience some of the players gained in their younger years.

“The last couple of years we’ve taken our lumps and started some younger players, and this is where that experience is paying off,” Heller said. “They can adjust in-game. We can throw a lot of different stuff at them and they adjust really well.”

Make no mistake, though. This experienced team has just four seniors on the roster. Ellsworth football is here to stay at the top of the Middle Border Conference.

Photo by Jack McLoone.