By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
The hype surrounding this week’s duel between #1 Southeast of Saline and #5 Ellsworth was second to none, as a packed house at Steve Fritz Field filed in to see if the Trojans would finally be tested by someone in Class 2A.
On paper, the Bearcats were one of the best opponents Southeast had faced all season, boasting an undefeated record, the #1 scoring defense in Class 2A, and four shutouts on the year.
The games however are not played on paper, and by the halftime whistle, the Trojans had proven that they were truly in a league of their own, leading the #5 team in their class 46-0.
“I thought we came out with an energy that was as good as it has been this year if not better,” SES head coach Mitch Gebhardt said. “Our kids were very focused and locked in this week on what we needed to do and I think that made a big difference. We were sharp on offense and on defense and I’m proud of our guys for doing that.”
Things started as they often do for the Trojans, with a ground-heavy offensive set to establish the run.
After picking up a few quick first downs on the opening drive of the game Luke Gebhardt handed the ball off to Nate Friesen at the 40-yard line and the junior wasted no time cutting upfield and finding paydirt for the first score of the contest.
The Trojan defense then took the field and completely neutralized the Ellsworth attack, winning the ball back for Luke, who engineered another long drive, this time taking it to the house himself to put the Trojans on top 16-0.
With the run established, SES opened the hanger doors and scrambled the jets, as Michael Murray, Landen Allen, and Jake Gebhardt terrorized the Ellsworth secondary for the whole second quarter.
The Trojans scored three straight touchdowns on connections from Luke to Jake, and with a fourth passing TD before the half, Southeast had a lead comfortable enough to call off the dogs after the intermission.
Luke Gebhardt’s final stat line reads like something from a Madden simulation. The senior completed 18-23 for 319 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions, earning a perfect passer rating of 158.3.
That trio of receivers also posted video game-type numbers, with Landen Allen recording seven catches for 131 yards and a score, Jake hauling in five receptions for 82 yards and three touchdowns, and Murray posting four catches for 78 yards.
All of this was made possible by a Southeast O-Line that completely took the wind out of the sails of a defense that had shut down every opponent they had faced to this point in the season.
“Everything starts with our offensive line,” Gebhardt said. “Luke doesn’t throw for those yards and our receivers don’t make those catches unless our O-Line plays well. Ellsworth has had so many tackles for loss and so many turnovers this year and for us to be able to do what we did Luke needed to have time.”
Defensively SES put on another clinic, holding Ellsworth to just seven total points against the second team in the second half and just 139 yards of total offense.
“Ellsworth has a good football team and we took away some of the things that they wanted to do and made them do some things that they weren't as comfortable with,” he said.
The Bearcats ranked second in the state in points allowed per game (5.7) and yards allowed per game (162). The Trojans scored 46 points and racked up 498 yards of total offense, more than Ellsworth has allowed in their four best games combined.
With this win, the Trojans secure a third straight undefeated regular season, a third consecutive district title, a fifth straight NCAA league title, and home-field advantage for the playoffs.
SES will kick off their state title run in a week nine matchup against 4-4 Haven in Gypsum next week.