For the first time this season, Ellsworth struggled to win at the line of scrimmage, which led to the undefeated Columbus Cardinals rushing for more than 300 yards in the 35-6 drubbing of the Panthers on Friday, Nov. 4, in Columbus.

The Level 3 playoff game between the Panthers and Cardinals featured two teams that spent the 2022 season dominating the line of scrimmage. For Ellsworth, that was senior Bo Hines, who went into Friday night’s contest averaging 135 rushing yards per game. The Cardinals regularly won at the line of scrimmage and limited Hines to 42 yards on 18 carries and one touchdown.

While Hines and the Ellsworth offense struggled to get going, Columbus had no issues getting its dynamic rushing attack going early. Columbus junior running back Colton Brunell and a beefy offensive line ran roughshod through the Panthers’ defense.

Brunell scored twice in the opening eight minutes of the game on runs of 35 and six yards respectively which helped give the Cardinals a 14-0 lead over Ellsworth. Columbus extended its lead to three scores, 210, with under two minutes to go in the first quarter when senior quarterback Nathan Cotter found the endzone on a nine-yard touchdown run.

For Ellsworth head coach Rob Heller, the struggles at the offensive line and the unfavorable rainy conditions turned the game into a war of attrition in the trenches, which heavily favored Columbus. Heller spoke about the Cardinals’ physicality at the line of scrimmage.

“As much as I hate to say it, we were just physically outmatched up front,” Heller said. “Those guys were exceptionally big, they were strong and athletic up front and we just didn’t have the size to really compete. When Brunell gets the ball and he’s coming downhill, he’s not going to run out of bounds. He’s going to punish your defensive backs.”

Brunell’s hot start helped put the game out of reach early, as the 21-0 lead proved to be too much for Ellsworth to overcome in the 35-6 defeat. Brunell finished the game with 31 carries for 270 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

His success wasn’t limited to just the game against Ellsworth. Including the postseason, Brunell leads the state in both rushing yards from scrimmage and rushing touchdowns with 2,518 and 38 respectively. Heller spoke about that combination of a talented back and a dominant offensive line.

“We were just outmatched in that running game,” Heller said. “He had a really good night and the guys up front are exceptional blockers. They’re just a really good football team. They’re the best team up front that we’ve seen all season by far.”

After a scoreless second and third quarter by both teams, Ellsworth broke the drought on the first play of the fourth quarter when the aforementioned Hines capped off a scoring drive with a one-yard touchdown run. A failed two-point conversion made the score 21-6 in favor of Columbus.

The Cardinals finished the game with 14 unanswered points to secure the 35-6 blowout of the Panthers. Coach Heller spoke about how he believes Columbus will likely play in the State Championship game in Madison in a couple of weeks.

“I wish we would have played a little bit better on Friday, but that’s a good football team in Columbus and I think they’re going to do some good stuff against Freedom,” Heller said. “I would expect to see those guys play down in Madison.”

Despite the season ending in a less-than-desirable way, Heller and the Panthers accomplished a lot this season, even after graduating what was likely the most talented class in school history last season.

The Panthers finished the season 10-2 overall and 7-0 in Middle Border Conference games, which helped Ellsworth win its third consecutive league title. Coach Heller spoke about how special this season was to him as a coach.

“Last year was special going down to Madison and having the success that we had,” Heller said. “But this year might be more special to me as an individual and as a coach because after losing what we had last year, for these guys to come out and buy in and step into those leadership roles so quickly and so seamlessly. They won a lot more games than people thought they were capable of. That’s some remarkable stuff.”

During one of the first practices of the season, Heller stated that this group of seniors had a goal of writing their own chapter and not riding the coattails of the previous senior class. This year’s senior class helped threepeat as league champions and got the team to a Level 3 game against an undefeated Columbus squad. In Heller’s eyes, the seniors did write their own chapter. He spoke about losing this senior class.

“We’ve got a lot of experience heading out the door here with the seniors,” Heller said. “Guys like Sam Kollbaum, Jurell Gooden, Louis Jahnke, Anthony Madsen, Carson Nugent was a three-year starter for us, Bo Hines has been playing since his sophomore year, there is a lot of talent and experience leaving.”

For Heller and Ellsworth, this is the third consecutive senior class that set an extremely high standard for the Panthers football program. That includes getting into the weight room and maximizing potential, as well as completely buying into what the coaching staff wants to do every season.

“The blueprint has been created by these guys as well,” Heller said. “If you work hard, get in the weight room and buy into the program and buy into the philosophy then anything is possible. We’ve got a good thing going here and we’re looking for guys to step up just like these guys did this year moving into the future.”

Ellsworth senior defensive lineman Sam Kollbaum leaps over a Columbus blocker while chasing down the Cardinals’ ball carrier. Photo by Gaylen Bicking