Panthers improve to 4-0 in MBC action, secure playoff spot

Ellsworth head coach Rob Heller couldn’t have scripted a better ending to one of the most anticipated games of the season.

With the game on the line late in the fourth quarter, the Ellsworth Panthers put together a four-minute, 83-yard drive that culminated in senior running back Jurell Gooden punching in the go-ahead touchdown that helped secure a 16-8 victory against Rice Lake on Friday, Sept. 23.

Rice Lake entered the game with a 4-1 record and ranked as the No. 4 team in the state in Division 3. Ellsworth also entered with a 4-1 record and as the No. 4 ranked team in the state in Division 4, according to the weekly Wissports.com coaches’ poll.

Ellsworth and Rice Lake went into the halftime locker room tied 8-8 and a fruitless third quarter by both teams meant that the game was going to be decided in the final quarter. After both teams had their ouense stall, Ellsworth got the ball back with just over four minutes remaining in regulation by forcing a turnover on downs.

The Panthers handed the ball ou for a short gain on first down before senior running back Bo Hines broke loose on a 25-yard rush down the Ellsworth sideline before being wrestled down by multiple Rice Lake defenders.

Ellsworth continued to move the chains with a steady diet of handous to aforemen -tioned seniors Hines and Gooden. With just over a minute remaining in regulation, Hines again broke loose. This time it was a carry down inside the Rice Lake 10-yard line before he was pushed out of bounds by Warriors defenders.

Two carries got Ellsworth down to the three-yard line. That’s when Gooden followed blockers into the endzone. A successful two-point conversion gave Ellsworth a 16-8 lead with less than 30 seconds remaining in regulation. Ellsworth’s defense got a stop and secured the season-defining win over Rice Lake. Heller spoke about that magical 83-yard drive to chew nearly the entire clock and win the game.

“I’m really proud of these guys. With the talent that we graduated last year, to see these young guys and the roles they’ve stepped into this year, it says a lot about this team and the seniors,” Heller said. “To face the adversity we did at the start of the second half, to come out stagnant and then have a drive like that, it defines the toughness of these guys and the willingness to execute when it really counts.”

The stakes certainly couldn’t have been higher on Friday night in Rice Lake. Not only did both teams enter ranked top-five in the state in their respective divisions, but both teams entered in a tight competition for the Middle Border Conference crown, as Rice Lake was moved into the MBC this season.

Going into the contest, Ellsworth had a perfect 3-0 record in league play while Rice Lake was 2-1. However, an Ellsworth loss would have brought a conference championship back into play for both the Warriors, who would have moved to 3-1, and Baldwin- Woodville (currently 3-1).

Now, Ellsworth controls its destiny, as the Panthers have already defeated both Rice Lake and Baldwin-Woodville this season, which coach Heller stated are the three best teams in the MBC this year.

“We don’t want to count our chickens before they hatch, Baldwin-Woodville beat them last week, but I think we’ve got a clearcut three teams at the top of the league,” Heller said after the win on Friday night. “It’s ex- citing that we can punch a playou ticket this early in the year and anytime you can beat a team like Baldwin and Rice Lake, it says a lot about your team.”

Last season, both Rice Lake and Ellsworth finished runner-up in the state championship

game in their respective divisions. Rice Lake has a state championship-caliber ouense and Ellsworth held it to eight total points on Friday night.

When the Panthers’ ouense struggled, the defense inevitably went onto the field and forced either a short drive or a three-and- out to get the ball back to the ouense. Heller spoke about what his defense did against a potent Rice Lake ouense.

“There’s some stuu that we need to clean up, but the defense bailed us out all night,” Heller said. “They played extremely well, kept us in it, and gave the ouense an oppor tunity to have that game-winning drive at the end. I think that’s what good teams do.”

The win keeps the Panthers in sole posses- sion of first place in the Middle Border Con ference standings with a 4-0 record, while Rice Lake drops to a three-way tie for third with Somerset and Saint Croix Central. Baldwin-Woodville moves to solo second with a 3-1 record.

Coach Heller spoke about how this team could have mailed it in after last season’s success, especially given the talent lost to graduation. Instead, these boys have begun crafting a legacy of their own in the annals of Panther lore.

“I’m just really proud of these seniors,” Heller said. “With the talent that we graduated, for them to step up and win a game like this, this can build confidence. This can let your season take ou. To be sitting in the catbird seat at this point in the MBC, we’re sitting pretty good for the rest of the season.”

The Panthers are at home on Friday, Sept. 30, against the Osceola Chieftains in another MBC clash. That contest is slated to begin at 7 p.m.

Ellsworth senior running back Bo Hines follows blockers and bursts through a hole during the Panthers’ road game against Rice Lake. Hines finished the game with a team-high 115 rushing yards on 23 total carries. Photo by Reagan Hoverman

Ellsworth senior running back Jurell Gooden makes a move in the open field during the Friday night 16-8 victory on the road against Rice Lake. Gooden scampered into the endzone on a three-yard touchdown run with less than 40 seconds remaining in regulation to help secure Ellsworth’s victory. Photo by Reagan Hoverman