By BRENT KRIEGH
Salina Post Contributor
The Sacred Heart Knights opened league play with a dominant performance as they traveled to Ellsworth and ruined homecoming for the Bearcats in a 26-0 shutout.
A 6-0 halftime lead made for an interesting defensive battle, and both teams stayed locked in, despite struggles to find the end zone.
Sacred Heart scored on the opening drive of the game as Maddox Wells connected with Kolin Wilson for a 77-yard touchdown to put the Knights up 6-0.
Despite the hot start, neither team found paydirt for the rest of the half.
The first defensive stand of the night led to a fumble recovery for the Knights, setting the tone for a dominant defensive performance.
Maddox Wells put on a display, connecting with Wilson for 77 yards and Matteucci for 68 for two touchdowns.
On the night, Wells completed 11-of-20 with 257 yards to Wilson and Matteucci alone.
Maddox Wells handled the passing game with confidence and ran the rock just as well. He led the Knights in rushing with 124 yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns.
The Knights' destructive defense forced one fumble en route to a shutout victory.
With this win, Sacred Heart starts the season 2-0 while Ellsworth drops to 1-1.
The Knights return home next Friday as they host Lyons (1-1) at JRI Stadium in Salina.
This game can be watched any time on demand below.