The Ellsworth Bearcats traveled the distance on Friday night to face the Minneapolis Lions in a frigid hardfought battle. The ‘Cats were trampled 43-12, ending their dreams of making it to postseason play.

Ellsworth won the toss and elected to defer. The Lions started off the game off strong with a return to their own 36 yard line. Minneapolis began with a first down completion on each of their first 3 plays. Soon after, the Lions added the first points of the ballgame with a 5 yard touchdown pass and a successful extra point attempt giving them the early lead just 5 minutes in.

To open up the second quarter, the Lions increased their lead with another touchdown and PAT. However, the ‘Cats responded quickly with a 49 yard touchdown run of their own, ran in by senior running back Luke Sharp. Junior kicker Dayton Davis’ extra point attempt was incomplete. Following the Bearcats’ first points, Minneapolis widened the gap with two more touchdowns of their own. Both extra points were good, giving the Lions a 28-6 heading into the locker room.

The second half opened with a kickoff return to the Bearcat 47 yard line by freshman Loden West. The Lions later stepped up and added their second blocked punt of the game. The third quarter concluded with two more touchdowns and successful point afters by Minneapolis, granting them a comfortable lead going into the final quarter.

The fourth quarter was mostly filled with defensive stops. The Bearcats did add more points to their score with a 3 yard quarterback back keeper touchdown by Dawson Kratzer. The Lions ended the game with running down the clock, taking the final spot in the playoffs.

The Bearcats ended their unexpected regular season with a 1-6 record. Ellsworth has the opportunity to compete in one more exhibition match this Friday night, hosting the Kismet-Southwestern Heights Mustangs. The Mustangs are 1-7 on the season. The game will began at 7 p.m. at Shanelec Field.