Football Recap: Tucker Goss' Big Game Can't Quite Lead Ellsworth over Hillsboro

The matchup between Ellsworth and Hillsboro on Friday hardly resembled the 14-6 effort from their previous meeting. The Bearcats lost 54-32 to the Trojans. The Bearcats were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 26-6.

Tucker Goss

Rushing Yards

10/03/25 @ Hillsboro	164
09/26/25 vs Lyons	303
09/19/25 @ Minneapolis	300
09/12/25 vs Republic County	244
09/05/25 vs Sacred Heart	133

Several Bearcats players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Tucker Goss, who rushed for 164 yards and one score. Goss is crushing it when it comes to rushing yards: he's rushed for at least 133 every time he's taken the field this season. Carson Jacobs also helped out as he racked up 104 rushing yards.

Ellsworth didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Jacobs and Jackson Minear. Ellsworth received some extra help from Cooper McGowan, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.

Having lost for the first time this season, Ellsworth fell to 4-1. As for Hillsboro, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 3-2.

Looking ahead, Ellsworth will be playing in front of their home fans against Halstead at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Bearcats will be up against the Dragons' rather soft defense (which has allowed 26 points per game), so fans could be in store for a big offensive performance. As for Hillsboro, they will head out to square off against Southeast of Saline on Friday. Southeast of Saline will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more points each matchup than the last.