Make it four wins in a row for Dodge City football after they took down Ellsworth at home 37-8 to keep their recent success rolling.
The win improved the Conquistadors to 5-2, and it marked head coach
Ryan Lusby's 12
th career win leading the Conqs.
The Conqs set up on defense to start the day, and Ellsworth moved the ball downfield but stalled on the Dodge City 20-yard line, turning the ball over on downs to the Conqs. The Conqs' first drive took over seven minutes and ended in the first score of the day when
Tim Carpenter hit
Omarion Lewis for a 21-yard touchdown pass. Up 7-0, the Conqs saw Ellsworth put together another time-consuming drive, but this time the Panthers scored and opted for a two-point conversion, which
Jabrae Shaw picked off to keep the Conqs ahead 7-6. With 50 seconds left in the first half, the Conqs stretched their lead as
Carsen Patu capped a seven-play, 75-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run, and the extra point gave the Conqs a 14-6 halftime lead.
On the first drive of the second half, the Conqs extended their lead when
Eduardo Solis hit a 31-yard field goal, then a 44-yard field goal, to make it 20-6. Several other Conqs started to factor into the contest as the game progressed, including
Brylee Perez, who broke a 17-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, and the Conqs carried a 27-6 lead into the fourth. Early in the fourth, Ellsworth blocked a Conq punt, and it went out the back of the endzone for a safety, but the Conqs countered with the third field goal of the day by Solis as he hit a 34-yarder with 7:15 remaining. The Conqs busted a 70-yard touchdown run by
Maurice Clark Jr. for good measure to lead 38-7 and the Conqs defense didn't allow Ellsworth to have more than 24 yards on a drive in the second half as the Conqs earned the win.
Defensively, the Conqs held Ellsworth to 170 total yards and only 44 in the second half, with the Panthers averaging just 2.9 yards per play.
Greg Wardlaw finished with nine tackles, one tackle for loss, and a sack, leading the Conqs' defense.
James Robinson led the team with six tackles and two tackles for loss, while
Dontavious Carter added six tackles, and five other Conqs had four tackles each.
The Conqs' offense was led by the rushing attack, as the big guys up front helped them rush for 299 yards on the day, averaging 8.5 yards per carry.
Joshua Taylor finished with 93 yards on 11 carries, while Clark Jr. had 75 yards on two carries with a touchdown, and Josh Arthur ran for 57 yards on four carries.
Conqs are back on the road next week in another battle with a ranked foe as they are set to take on #14 Butler in El Dorado for an afternoon kick at 1:00 pm.
