By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth football team opened Southwest Ridge Conference play by routing Westbrook-Walnut Grove 44-14 in Westbrook Friday.Travis Broesder and Zach Wysong scored two touchdowns each and Curt Schilling passed for two touchdowns to help the Patriots raise their season record to 3-0.It looked like the Patriots might be in for a battle when they fell behind 7-6 in the first quarter, but H-BC-E rallied to outscore the Chargers 38-7 the rest of the way to prevail by 40 points."We fell behind 7-6 early, but our guys didn’t panic," said Patriot coach Dan Ellingson. "We held our composure, came up with a big turnover, and took control of the game from there."Turnovers, especially one early in the first half, set the stage for H-BC-E’s lopsided win.The Patriots threw two interceptions in the game, but W-WG was hampered by six turnovers (three fumbles and three interceptions).H-BC-E got off to a strong start as it received the opening kick and marched 60 yards before Broesder scored on a 10-yard scamper. A run for a two-point conversion failed, leaving the visitors with a 6-0 cushion.W-WG then stunned the Patriots by using an offensive set H-BC-E had not prepared for.H-BC-E’s confusion was evident on the second play of W-WG’s opening series as quarterback Victor Bonbarcek hooked up with Jake Wahl for a 37-yard touchdown pass. A successful extra point gave the Chargers a 7-6 edge.W-WG continued to use a spread offense while mounting a scoring threat late in the first quarter, H-BC-E’s Broesder thwarted the advance by intercepting a pass in the end zone.Broesder’s play seemed to swing the momentum into H-BC-E’s favor for good as the Patriots scored 20 second-quarter points to take control of the contest."W-WG surprised us by running an offense we had never seen them use before," Ellingson said. "They caught us off-guard the first couple of times they had the ball, but Broesder’s interception seemed to be the turning point. After that, we shut them down."There was no shutting down H-BC-E’s offense in the second quarter, when the Patriots scored 20 points in a span of 7:50 to open a 26-7 lead.Wysong, who compiled 190 total yards in the game (127 rushing and 63 receiving), ignited the scoring spree by running 54 yards for a touchdown with 7:50 left in the second quarter. A failed two-point conversion attempt left the Patriots sporting a 12-7 cushion.Schilling passed for 108 yards in the contest and hit Wysong for a 13-yard touchdown pass at the 4:13 mark of the second period to end H-BC-E’s next offensive possession. Lee Jackson carried in the two-point conversion to make it 20-7.A 25-yard Schilling-to-Broesder touchdown pass on the final play of the first half made the difference 26-7 at the intermission.Any thoughts of a W-WG rally in the second half were erased during H-BC-E’s second possession of the third quarter. Tom LeBoutillier, who carried the ball eight times for 105 yards in the contest for the Patriots, capped the possession with a 47-yard touchdown run at the 4:25 mark of the stanza to make it a 32-7 game.H-BC-E’s reserves outscored the Chargers 12-7 in the fourth quarter.Patriot Jarid Hoogendoorn scored on a three-yard run to make the difference 38-7 before W-WG’s Brian Streseman blocked a punt and recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. The Chargers added the extra point to make the difference 38-14.H-BC-E’s Kerry Fink capped the scoring with a 38-yard touchdown run as the fourth quarter progressed.The Patriots will host Edgerton for Hills-Beaver Creek High School’s homecoming game Friday.Edgerton, 2-1 overall, is coming off a 27-15 win over Southwest United in Edgerton.Team statisticsH-BC-E: 318 rushing yards, 108 passing yards, 426 total yards, 20 first downs, three penalties for 15 yards, two turnovers.W-WG: 187 rushing yards, 88 passing yards, 275 total yards, 12 first downs, eight penalties for 45 yards, six turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Wysong 14-127, LeBoutillier 8-105, Fink 5-44.Passing: Schilling 12-20 for 108 yards.Receiving: Wysong 6-63, Broesder 3-40, Drew Spykerboer 1-10, Chris Nuffer 1-5, LeBoutillier 1-minus 10.Defense: Schilling 12 tackles, Wysong one interception, Broesder 10 tackles and two interceptions, Mitchell Leuthold one fumble recovery, Greg Van Batavia two fumble recoveries.
