Ellsworth hasn't had much luck against Southeast of Saline recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Bearcats will challenge the Trojans at 7:00 p.m.
Ellsworth is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 42 points last Friday, they were much more limited against Beloit on Friday. They took a 16-6 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Trojans. The matchup marked the Bearcats' lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Ellsworth might have lost, but man, Tucker Goss was a machine: he rushed for 169 yards and one score while picking up 7.7 yards per carry. Goss really tore up the turf during one magnificent 99-yard run.
Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Southeast of Saline against Halstead on Friday as the team secured a 55-14 win. Fans of the Trojans have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
Southeast of Saline's win came from a few key players Ellsworth will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Grady Gebhardt, who picked up 143 receiving yards and a pair of TDs, and also rushed for 87 yards and three touchdowns. He also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, forcing one fumble and making six total tackles. Another player making a difference was Tiernan Ptacek, who threw for 266 yards and four touchdowns while completing 72.7% of his passes.
Southeast of Saline didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Ptacek and Bryson Lippold. Lippold got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Southeast of Saline's victory bumped their record up to 7-0. As for Ellsworth, their loss was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 4-1 and their overall record down to 5-2.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Ellsworth has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 345 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Southeast of Saline struggles in that department as they've been averaging 256.4 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Ellsworth was taken down by Southeast of Saline 44-8 in their previous meeting back in October of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Gebhardt, who rushed for 136 yards and one score, and also picked up 33 receiving yards. Now that the Bearcats know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
