Trojan football team defeats Ellsworth in homecoming game
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
Still reeling from coming up two points short for the second straight year a week earlier against Ellinwood, the Trojans got the bad taste out of their mouths Friday night in the homecoming game in Hillsboro.
A team with its starting quarterback not at full strength and running back out, the Ellsworth Bearcats posed no threat to the Trojans, getting rolled 33-0.
Hillsboro's defense has played big all season long, but nothing like it did Friday.
Lacking a passing game, anything that could backfire on the Bearcats did as they were suffocated by the Trojans, finishing with a paltry 21 yards total offense.
Back in the lineup after suffering a sprained ankle, Caleb Marsh carried the ball nine times for a game-high 83 yards, ripping off a run for 63 on one of his two touchdowns.
Marsh was a one-man wrecking crew to Ellsworth, supplying Hillsboro with 152 yards of total offense, throwing for 69.
While it's not entirely impossible to win with such a sparse offensive outburst, the swarming Trojan defense never allowed Ellsworth past midfield nor any big plays on special teams amidst turning the ball over three times.
The one time the Bearcats actually threatened after Marsh was picked off by Brandon Rohr in the waning moments of the first half, Ellsworth fumbled its only chance to score and best field position away as Lucas Hamm pounced on the loose ball.
The remainder of the game Ellsworth's never started a drive any further than its own 36.
Two of the four Bearcat fumbles spotted Hillsboro its first 13 points of action.
Facing a second-and-nine at its own 27, Ellsworth coughed up the ball on its second play of its first drive, leading to a Wade Weibert recovery at the 25.
Weibert, along with Lucas Hamm, combined to make 22 stops between them with Weibert in on a team-high 12 tackles.
Tim Funk churned up four yards to set up a Michael Suderman scamper around left end for a 21-yard score, the first of his two-touchdown performance.
Suderman carried the ball a team-high 10 times for 45 yards as part of the Trojans' 190-yard explosion rushing the ball.
Marsh's PAT was wide right, but the long, miserable night for the Bearcats had begun barely 4:00 into the game.
Ellsworth's second fumble occurred on it first play this time as quarterback Brad Barta lost the ball.
Brian Thiessen scooped it up and bolted in for another 21-yard touchdown.
Ten seconds later, the Trojans were up, 13-0 after the Marsh PAT.
The Bearcats got nothing going the entire night, picking up two first downs and going two-of-13 in third down conversions, leaving the Bearcats' punter the most productive player.
After going one of their many uncanny three-and-outs, even the punter got burned as Marsh set the Trojans up with first-and-goal with a 51 yard return.
Three plays later, Suderman was in again, this time from six out with 6:41 still left in the first quarter.
The PAT was good and Hillsboro grabbed a commanding 20-0 lead.
Then the Trojans' engine started cutting out, failing to score again until the third quarter.
"It's kind of a hard game to call and a hard game for kids to play when you get up 20-0 right at the beginning," coach Dustin McEwen said. "I thought there in the first half we lost some of our focus scoring 20 points in the first five minutes, then you turn around and don't score the rest of the half.
"It was a matter of focus and concentration and psyche at closing the deal. I don't think I did a very good job of calling good plays in the first half as well, but it wasn't like we were able to get into a rhythm."
Even then, nowhere was the only place Ellsworth could go, failing to capitalize on Hillsboro's sputtering offense.
By halftime, Ellsworth had a sole yard of offense going for it.
Marsh was the last guy the Bearcats needed to see.
But he struck again 15 seconds into the second half, taking off on his 63-yard run.
If there was anything inefficient about the Trojans' game, it was their continuing struggle connecting the PATs.
This time, Marsh's ricocheted off the goal post, leaving the Trojans to settle for a 26-0 lead.
Marsh capped off his night of destruction 5:45 later, taking it around the right side for a six-yard touchdown.
His PAT was good for the entirety of the Trojans' scoring.
"The second half I thought went much better," McEwen said. "We still had a fumble over here and this and that but I think we're back to having a little more offensive firepower right now.
"We take the quarterback out, take them out, their offense is really hampered. Our defense, as their coach told me after the game, played real aggressive. I was very pleased with the way the defense played."
The Trojans quarterback trio of Marsh, Derek Hamm and Josh Boese completed seven of 15 passes for 116 yards, three catches for 49 yards going to Brodie Unrau.
Hillsboro hosts the Sterling Black Bears Friday night at Reimer Field in a 7 p.m. start.
