By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
After breezing through the opening round of the playoffs in a 42-0 shutout of Haven, the Ellsworth Bearcats will hit the road this week in search of a big round-of-16 win over Garden Plain.
Both teams come into this contest at 8-1 with the Owls entering fresh off a 21-7 victory over Halstead last week.
Despite the dominant performance, Ellsworth understands that to reach their full potential, they must take yet another step this week to advance to the first quarterfinal in recent memory.
“I thought we played really well defensively again,” Bearcat head coach Josh Homolka said. “Those guys really clamped down. We still need to continue progressing on offense, moving the ball and getting points on the board to keep our defense off the field will be key.”
This week’s challenge comes in the form of a Garden Plain team that ranks fifth in Class 2A in rushing offense (286 yds/g), and 11th in scoring defense (15 PPGA).
“They’re not afraid of grinding it out on offense and they’re content fighting for three yards all night and then popping a big one late,” Homolka said. “They’re built to be a four-down offense and you have to get them off schedule to get off the field but that’s easier said than done.”
The Bearcats got a firsthand look at this offense a season ago in a 21-7 opening-round victory over the Owls in 2022.
This matchup will also pit strength against strength, as Ellsworth currently holds the 3rd best scoring defense (7.3 PPGA), and fourth-best run defense (82 yds/ga) in their class.
“We’ve seen teams like this but I don’t think we’ve seen a team as strong as what they are in the run game this year,” Homolka said. “I like their style, they’re willing to pound their head into the wall until it cracks open and they do a good job of it.”
On the other side of the matchup, the Owls have struggled at times to stop the pass, surrendering more air yards on average than almost any other team in 2A, which could play right into the hands of the always-dangerous Will Cravens come kickoff.
Ultimately, this game could very well come down to which team takes better care of the football, as the Bearcats will need to find ways to keep a slow, methodical Owl offense off the field.
“We have to play solid on defense and make sure that we can get them off schedule and doing things that they don’t like to do,” he said. “Turnovers will be the biggest factor in this game and if we can get a few that’ll go a long way, you have to manufacture extra possessions against a team like Garden Plain.”
Kickoff between the Bearcats and Owls is scheduled for 7:00 on the campus of Garden Plain High School, with the winner advancing to the quarterfinal to face either Hoisington (9-0) or Beloit (5-4) next week.