By John Rittenhouse
Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth ran its football record to 5-0 with a 20-6 victory over Lincoln HI in Ivanhoe Friday.
Senior tailback Chris Reid ran for 260 yards and three touchdowns to lead the offense, while the H-BC-E defense limited the Rebels to 152 yards and one third-quarter touchdown as the Patriots remained unbeaten with three games to play in the regular season.
H-BC-E, 4-0 in the Southwest Ridge Conference, will try to keep its perfect record in tact when it travels to Brewster Friday to take on Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster.
The Patriots were able to overcome their second consecutive 10-penalty game in Ivanhoe.
Reid's explosiveness sparked the offense, and a stingy defense limited the Rebels to 90 rushing yards in the tilt. Add the fact that H-BC-E won the battle of field position, and all the conditions were right for a 14-point win.
"Our field position was a big key," said Patriot coach Dan Ellingson. "Our run defense was good, and we were able to run the ball well on offense. Reid ran for 260 yards alone, which is a lot of yards."
H-BC-E took a 7-0 lead that it would never relinquish in the first quarter.
After the Patriots had what would have been a 65-yard touchdown pass erased due to a penalty during their first offensive possession of the game, they eventually lost the ball on downs.
That didnÕt happen during the second possession, when Reid turned the second play into an 82-yard touchdown dash. Zach Wysong added the extra point.
H-BC-E had some opportunities to increase their lead before halftime, but it didn't get the job done.
The Patriots advanced the ball inside LH's 10-yard line twice as the first half progressed. Both drives yielded no points.
H-BC-E did extend the lead to 13-0 with its first possession of the second half.
Reid capped a 74-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown scamper. The extra-point attempt failed.
The Rebels trimmed H-BC-E's lead to seven points (13-6) with a touchdown late in the third quarter.
LHÕs second possession of the half ended with Jared Beck hauling in a 62-yard touchdown pass. The run for a two-point conversion failed.
The score remained 13-6 until late in the fourth quarter. H-BC-E was able to take advantage of good field position that presented itself after an LH punt was returned to the Rebel 35.
Reid found the end zone at the end of a 21-yard run a few plays later. WysongÕs extra point capped the scoring with 1:11 left to play.
Ellingson tipped his hat to the Rebels at game's end.
"They are not a typical 0-5 team, and we knew it would be a battle going into the game. We knew they had good size. By looking at the conference statistics, we knew they didn't give up a lot of yardage defensively, and that they had lost a lot of close games," he said.
Ellingson expects his team to be tested again in Round Lake Friday. The Raiders are 3-2 overall and 2-2 in the SRC.
"They've got their quarterback from last year back. Cory Place, their top running back, is doing very well statistically. He's a fast kid who has made some big plays this year. I would say he's right up there with Reid in quickness and speed," said the Patriot coach.
Team statistics
H-BC-E: 325 rushing yards, 22 passing yards, 347 total yards, 13 first downs, 10 penalties for 90 yards, one turnover.
LH: 90 rushing yards, 62 passing yards, 152 total yards, five first downs, two penalties for 20 yards, two turnovers.
Individual statistics
Rushing: Reid 27-260, Jesse Leuthold 17-76, Wysong 1-4, Curt Schilling 4-minus 15.
Passing: Schilling 3-14 for 22 yards.
Receiving: Reid 1-14, Brant Deutsch 1-5, Tyson Metzger 1-3.
Defense: Schilling 17 tackles and two interceptions, Cody Scholten 10 tackles, Leuthold nine tackles, Deutsch seven tackles, Craig Gaul six tackles.