By John Rittenhouse
Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth engaged Southwest Star Concept in a Southwest Ridge Conference football shootout in Heron Lake Friday.
In a game that featured 623 yards worth of offense and 83 points, the Patriots ended up on the winning end of a 55-28 decision that served as the 2001 conference opener for both teams.
It seemed as if the defenses of both teams took the night off as 43 points were scored in the first half and 40 were tallied in the second half.
When it came to offense, or big plays in other areas of the game, both teams came up with their share.
"It was a wild game," said Patriot coach Dan Ellingson. "Everyone was scoring in a lot of different ways. It seemed like when we were on the verge of going up by three touchdowns, they would come up with a score of their own. They did a good job of keeping things close."
The Patriots never had a comfortable lead until late in the third quarter, when they embarked on a 22-6 scoring run to put the game out of reach.
Before H-BC-E's late run, the Quasars did their best to keep the game interesting.
The Patriots gained the upper hand on SSC by scoring 13 unanswered points in the game's first quarter.
After being stopped during their first offensive possession, the Patriots put the ball in the end zone during their second and third possessions.
Chris Reid, who ran the ball for 188 yards and three touchdowns, opened the scoring with a four-yard run. Tyler BushÕs extra point made it a 7-0 game.
Jesse Leuthold, who ran the ball for 79 yards in the contest, added a one-yard burst before the second quarter was complete. The ensuing extra-point attempt failed.
SSC trimmed the difference to 11 points (27-16) by halftime when it outscored the Patriots 16-14 in the second quarter.
A six-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Leopold to Isaiah Rogers, followed by a Leopold-to-Jeremy Updike conversion pass, pulled the Quasars to within five points (13-8) of H-BC-E in the second quarter, but H-BC-E increased its lead to 13 points (21-8) when Reid scored on a three-yard run. A successful David Top-to-Brad Haak pass followed ReidÕs second touchdown of the game.
The score remained 21-8 until late in the second quarter, when the Top-to-Haak combination, which clicked five times for 87 yards in the game, produced a 48-yard touchdown pass that was followed by a missed extra point.
Not to be outdone, SSC's Leopold fielded the ensuing kickoff and returned it 85 yards for a touchdown. Rogers ran in the conversion to make it a 27-16 game at the intermission.
The teams came up with key turnovers while exchanging touchdowns to open the second half.
After H-BC-E's Darin DeBoer recovered a fumble deep in SSC territory early in the third quarter, he found himself on the receiving end of a 15-yard touchdown pass from Top on the next play. A failed conversion run left the Patriots sporting a 33-16 lead.
The Patriot defense forced SSC to punt as the period progressed, but H-BC-E never did get the ball. SSCÕs Updike ripped the ball out of the hands of H-BC-E's return man and ran 23 yards for a touchdown. A failed conversion run left H-BC-E with a 33-22 cushion.
Any momentum SSC gained from Updike's big play vanished when the Patriots scored the next two touchdowns to open a 47-22 lead.
Chris Tiesler scored on a 13-yard run and Kevin Van Batavia carried in a two-point conversion when the Patriots made it a 41-22 game before the third quarter was complete.
Reid capped his three-touchdown game with a 47-yard sprint to make it a 25-point difference early in the fourth quarter.
SSC's Rogers scored on a one-yard run to trim the difference to 19 points (47-28) as the period progressed, but Patriot Dusty Seachris capped the scoring with a 19-yard touchdown run and a successful two-point conversion jaunt to make it a 27-point difference in the end.
"This was a good game for us because we got to use our reserves. Everyone who could play did," Ellingson said.
The 2-0 Patriots play 0-2 Lake Benton for EllsworthÕs homecoming game in Ellsworth tomorrow.
The Bobcats are coming off a 37-0 loss to Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster in their SRC opener.
"Lake Benton was a team that was playing well at the end of last season, but they are 0-2 this year. They lost a lot of seniors from last yearÕs team, and their numbers are down from last season," Ellingson said.
Team statistics
H-BC-E: 307 rushing yards, 144 passing yards, 451 total yards, 12 first downs, seven penalties for 70 yards, five turnovers.
SSC: 55 rushing yards, 117 passing yards, 172 total yards, nine first downs, seven penalties for 65 yards, three turnovers.
Individual statistics
Reid 14-188, Leuthold 12-79, Seachris 3-22, Van Batavia 2-7, Tiesler 1-13, Clint Roozenboom 1-minus one, Top 1-minus 1.
Passing: Top 9-11 for 144 yards, Curt Schilling 0-1 for zero yards.
Receiving: Haak 5-87, DeBoer 2-57, Reid 1-7, Leuthold 1-minus seven.
Defense: Schilling 13 tackles, Leuthold 11 tackles, Haak eight tackles and one interception, Reid seven tackles and one interception, Van Batavia two sacks, Brant Deutsch two sacks, Kyle Braun seven tackles and one sack, Matt Buck one sack, DeBoer one dumble recovery.