The Ellsworth Bearcats played their Homecoming game against Lyons Sept. 26, demolishing the Lions 50-3.

The game got off to a slow start. While the Lions were never expected to win, the Bearcats seemed to take their time getting started. First blood was finally drawn when the Bearcats’ senior Tucker Goss finally closed the one-yard distance to make a touchdown at 5:51. Sophomore Carson Jacobs made a touchdown pass when he threw the ball 15 yards to senior Cooper McGowan. The first quarter ended 12-0, with the Bearcats already well ahead of the Lions.

The second quarter was again relatively slow. The Lions managed to score, of all things, a field goal, adding a pittance to their low score. At 3:02, Goss scored a staggering 80-yard touchdown. The Bearcats also made the two-point conversion.

The second quarter ended 20-3, with the Bearcats still well ahead of the Lions.

“We just came out a little slow and had to get going there in the second half,” Goss said. “Once we got going, I didn’t lose any hope at all during the game. It’s all up front, in the O-line. None of my touchdowns or rushing yards would be possible without those guys up front leading the way. My job is just to carry the ball and follow them.”

After halftime, the Bearcats didn’t really need to do much. Because of their already massive lead, the pressure was essentially off. All they had to do was conserve. At 5:37, Goss made another touchdown, this time from four yards. Another two-point conversion was made, and 37 in-game seconds later, Jacobs scored a sevenyard touchdown. There was another successful two-point conversion. Over the course of just a minute, the Bearcats went from winning the game to dominating it. The third quarter ended 36-3, with the Lions now essentially locked out of a chance at victory.

The Bearcats were now literally 12 times ahead of the Lions. Despite this, only 5 seconds into the fourth quarter, senior Jackson Minear scored an 11-yard touchdown and another two-point conversion. The Bearcats essentially got to wallow in their inevitable victory the rest of the quarter. There was a long stretch where the Bearcats didn’t score, but that was also true for the Lions. The difference is the stretch for the Lions made up most of the game. With 54 seconds left in the game, freshman Gage Laas made a five-yard touchdown.

“It’s easier to coach off a win than it is a loss,” head coach Josh Homolka said. “You can really build off a win because they feel good and they know they can do it and they can also go beyond that. You can coach them harder and work on the finer details.”

The team’s record is 4-0. They play the Hillsboro Trojans on the road Friday.