ELLSWORTH — In a battle of top 10 ranked teams to kick off Middle Border Conference play, Ellsworth proved to be up for the challenge, taking a 26-6 win over St. Croix Central on Friday.

Central came in as the No. 6 team in Division 4 from the Wisconsin Sports Network and started the season with a 41-7 win over Mauston and a 24-0 win over Elk Mound. Ellsworth was ranked No. 10 entering the week, rebounding from a loss against La Crosse Logan with a win over La Crosse Central. With both teams in the top 10 to open the conference schedule, the fans were in for a treat.

In the battle of the Panthers, it was Central that drove down the field first, entering the red zone before a penalty stripped away a scoring opportunity. Central plays a powerful brand of football that relies heavily on physicality, and it can be difficult for many teams to prepare for.

“Their offense is hard to simulate during the week, so it usually takes a drive or two to get your feet under you,” Head Coach Rob Heller said. “We were kind of on skates that first drive, but we found a way to regroup.”

The defenses on both sides would lock in until 2:55 to go in the first quarter, when powerful running back Braydon Anderson took a run to the right, shrugged off a few would-be tacklers, and soared down field for a 65-yard touchdown and a 6-0 lead.

“I just saw an opening, I’m like I gotta run as fast as I can,” Anderson said.

Ellsworth’s formidable defense continued, with a pile of Panthers swarming over a botched snap near midfield, setting up one last drive in the first half. A long pass from quarterback Jack Stoltenburg to George Rohl set up a strike over the middle to Nash Kuhl to take a 12-0 lead into the half.

Ellsworth busted the game open with a methodical drive that culminated in a direct snap to Anderson for a short-yardage score in the second half. Anderson brings a lot of size to the table at the running back position, and still has the versatility to break free for long runs. Heller said this size presents a challenge to other teams, as there are not a lot of defensive backs capable of bringing him down.

“His size is special. He’s a mismatch for a lot of people,” Heller said. “If he gets to the second level, a lot of little guys aren’t going to want to get in his way. He’s just a workhorse and we’re going to ride him.”

Up 20-0, Ellsworth would find one final score as a big hit by Gavin Puhrmann jarred the ball loose, freeing up Michael Holst to coast into the endzone with a 52-yard scoop and score.

“Our assistants, they put in the time during the week,” Heller said. “Coach [Pechacek] is a mad professor, he’s always got a good plan on D.”

Losing 52-0 at Central last season, Ellsworth wanted their revenge, and they were going to give it their all to get it.

“Last year we stumbled a little bit in conference play,” Heller said. “To start the [Middle Border Conference] season 1-0 against Central, that says a lot about these guys. We’re in a good place right now, we gotta keep building though.”

Heller said the improvements from the week one loss have been drastic, and it is a credit to the players’ hard work.

“Hats off to these guys, they played a lot different game than week one,” Heller said. “They came out here and they executed much better.”

Heller said if one thing could be brought over to the next game, it would be the execution from the players. Anderson echoed the emphasis on execution.

“It just feels amazing that we got the win,” Anderson said. “The main part of the win is that we just executed and just played hard all 48 minutes.”

Up next for the Panthers, they head to Amery on Friday to continue conference play. Ellsworth has two remaining home games, with the first being Sept. 20 against Baldwin-Woodville and the second Oct. 11 against Osceola.