By John RittenhouseHills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth rallied from a six-point halftime deficit to win its 2003 football opener in Glenville Thursday, Aug. 28.Trailing 6-0 after Glenville-Emmons scored a touchdown late in the first half, the Patriots needed to show some life in the final two quarters to avoid being blanked in the opener.H-BC-E met the challenge by scoring seven points with its first possession of the second half before icing the contest with a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.Considering the Patriots are a young team (four seniors on the roster) that made some mistakes (six fumbles, two which were lost, and seven penalties) in the first game, being able to rally in the second half to win the contest showed spunk."We played a good second half," said Patriot coach Dan Ellingson. "We’re playing with a lot of young kids this year, so we’re going to have some growing pains. Fumbles and penalties are things we’ll just have to work through."The Patriots forced G-E to punt to end the host’s opening possession.H-BC-E’s offense took over on its own 45-yard line and overcame two penalties during a 55-yard drive that ended with quarterback Curt Schilling scoring on a one-yard keeper at the 3:40 mark of the third quarter. When Zach Wysong added the extra point, the Patriots gained their first lead of the season at 7-6.The score didn’t change until late in the fourth quarter, when G-E tried to gain a first down deep inside its own territory on a fourth-down situation.G-E lost the ball on downs at the 10, and Patriot running back Tom LeBoutiller ran four yards for a touchdown two plays later. The extra-point attempt failed, leaving the Patriots with a 13-6 lead with 1:00 left to play.H-BC-E senior defender Drew Spykerboer settled the issue moments later when he intercepted a pass to end G-E’s final offensive possession.G-E’s touchdown came with 1:08 left in the first half. A 20-yard touchdown pass, G-E’s lone pass completion of the game, gave it a 6-0 lead.H-BC-E did have two good scoring opportunities that yielded no points.The Patriots lost the ball on downs on the G-E seven-yard line in the first quarter. Another drive stalled on downs on the G-E five early in the fourth quarter.H-BC-E will host 0-1 United South Central at 7 p.m. Saturday in Hills.Team statisticsH-BC-E: 210 rushing yards, 59 passing yards, 269 total yards, 20 first downs, seven penalties for 40 yards, three turnovers.G-E: 109 rushing yards, 20 passing yards, 129 total yards, 15 first downs, two penalties for 10 yards, two turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: LeBoutiller 19-123, Wysong 8-42, Travis Broesder 5-17, Lee Jackson 5-15, Schilling 3-13.Passing: Schilling 7-15 for 59 yards.Receiving: Wysong 3-22, Spykerboer 2-19, Chris Nuffer 1-12, Broesder 1-7.Defense: Schilling 13 tackles and one sack, Brian Gacke 11 tackles, Cody Scholten six tackles, Spykerboer one interception.
