Ellsworth Routs Republic County
ELLSWORTH-Will Cravens passed for two touchdowns and ran for two more scores as the #5 Ranked Ellsworth Bearcats cruised to a 62-6 victory over Republic County Friday evening at Shanelec Field.
Ellsworth wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard with Ian Andalon-Silva returned the opening kickoff 77 for a touchdown just 12 seconds into to the contest to make the score 7-0 as Will Cravens booted through the extra point. Ellsworth then recovered the ensuing kickoff and drove 30 yards in three plays with Cravens scampering in from nine yards out and adding the PAT for a 14-0 advantage.
The Bearcats then recovered another kickoff and began their drive at the Republic County 49-yard line and needed just four plays to find the end zone again on a 29-yard run by Cravens to make the score 21-0 after the extra point. The lead grew to 28-0 when Cravens found Cole Webber for a 19-yard touchdown pass, then on the next drive Cravens and Webber connected again this time from 39 yards out to pad the lead to 35-0 after the first quarter.
Ellsworth continued the scoring with three more touchdowns in the second quarter. The first was a 43-yard run by Andalon-Silva but the extra point failed, leaving the margin at 41-0. Landin Johnson scored from 26 yards out to make the score 48-0 and the Bearcats closed out the first half scoring on a 22-yard touchdown pass from backup Quarterback Will Donley to Braylyn Gardner and the two-point conversion was good, allowing the Bearcats to go into intermission with a commanding 56-0 lead.
The second half was played with a running clock due to the lopsided score but the Buffaloes' brightest moment of the game occurred late in the third quarter when Aden Morris picked off a Donley pass two plays after an Ellsworth touchdown was negated by a holding penalty and sprinted 95 yards to the end zone for Republic County's first points of the season. Ellsworth closed out the scoring with a little over four minutes remaining on a five-yard run by Jackson Minear. The two-point conversions were no good after each score.
Ellsworth (2-0) rolled up 275 yards of total offense, 200 of those yards were on the ground. Andalon-Silva led the way with 64 yards rushing along with his one touchdown, while Minear accounted for 53 yards and his score off the bench. The Bearcat defense was relentless, holding Republic County (0-2) to minus-16 yards of total offense and just one first down for the entire game.
Ellsworth will be on the road for their next contest on Friday, September 15 when they play at Sacred Heart while Republic County takes to the road for the second consecutive week with a visit to Beloit.