By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth Patriots had little trouble posting their third win of the season when they traveled to Lake Benton for a Southwest Ridge Conference tilt Friday.
Playing their first road game of the season didn't seem to bother the Patriots, who scored 41 consecutive points in the gameÕs first 27:42 during what ended up being a 41-16 victory.
Lake Benton gambled on defense to stop H-BC-E's impressive running attack by crowding the line of scrimmage with as many as eight defenders.
That strategy backfired as H-BC-E scored four rushing touchdowns covering 48 or more yards in the game.
"They were playing a 4-4 defense that was really tight at the line of scrimmage," said Patriot coach Dan Ellingson. "Our blocking was good, which opened some big holes up for our runners. When we got our backs through the initial line of scrimmage, they were gone."
Senior tailback Chris Reid did most of the damage to Lake Benton's defense.
Reid ran the ball 14 times for 220 yards, averaging 15.7 yards with each carry. Of his 220 yards, 165 yards came on three touchdown runs that were 48 yards or longer.
Reid made his presence known early in the game.
H-BC-E received the kick to start the contest on the Lake Benton 36-yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, Reid dashed 64 yards for a touchdown and a 6-0 lead.
H-BC-E ended up scoring touchdowns during its first six offensive possessions of the game.
The second possession was capped by an eight-yard scamper by Reid at the 6:50 mark of the opening period. Reid hauled in a two-point conversion pass from quarterback Curt Schilling to make it 14-0 difference.
After getting the ball back later in the opening period, the H-BC-E offense put together a drive that ended on the first play of the second quarter. Schilling hit Tyson Metzger for a three-yard touchdown pass, and Zach Wysong added the extra point for a 21-0 advantage.
A pair of explosive runs by Reid increased H-BC-E's lead to 35-0 before the first half was complete.
Reid sprinted 53 yards for a score at the 8:56 mark of the second period, and found the end zone again at the end of a 48-yard run with 3:39 left to play in the half. Wysong kicked extra points after both touchdowns.
The Bobcats did have a scoring opportunity late in the first half as they were in a first-and-goal situation at the H-BC-E six. After advancing the ball to the two with three plays, a run on fourth down was stopped on the one, giving H-BC-E the ball on downs.
H-BC-E's defense stopped Lake BentonÕs first offensive series of the second half, giving the Patriot offense the ball on its own 47. Fullback Jesse Leuthold rumbled 53 yards for a score during H-BC-EÕs first offensive play in the third quarter, making the difference 41-0.
Ellingson replaced his starters with reserves at that point, and Lake Benton was able to take advantage of the situation.
Bobcat quarterback Matt Prosch tossed a 56-yard touchdown pass to Jason Schwing at the 4:16 mark of the third quarter. A successful conversion run made the score 41-8.
The Prosch-Schwing combination clicked for a 37-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Another successful conversion run capped the scoring with 6:46 left to play.
All things considered, Ellingson was proud of the way his team played against the Bobcats.
"I thought we played really well," he said. "The thing I liked was we got our passing game going on offense. We were 13 of 19 passing. That opened things up for our runners, because Lake Benton had to respect the pass defensively."
The Patriots will try to improve their record to 4-0 when they host Edgerton for their homecoming game Friday.
Edgerton is 1-2 overall after a pair of losses followed a season-opening victory.
Team statistics
H-BC-E: 343 rushing yards, 107 passing yards, 450 total yards, 10 first downs, five penalties for 25 yards, one turnover.
Lake Benton: 114 rushing yards, 149 passing yards, 263 total yards, three first downs, five penalties for 30 yards, zero turnovers.
Individual statistics
Rushing: Reid 14-220, Leuthold 10-85, Schilling 2-12, Dusty Seachris 6-9, Jordan Scott 7-22, Travis Broesder 2-minus five.
Passing: Schilling 13-19 for 107 yards.
Receiving: Metzger 5-30, Wysong 3-42, Kyle Sammons 2-8, Brant Deutsch 1-13, Leuthold 1-6, Reid 1-3.
Defense: Schilling nine tackles, Scott five tackles, Leuthold five tackles and one sack, Pat Nelson three tackles and one sack, Cody Scholten five tackles, Seachris five tackles, Deutsch two tackles and one sack.