For the second straight week the Highland football team scored in the final minutes of the contest to comeback and earn the win as the Scotties improved to 2-0 on the season after a 17-10 road win over Ellsworth on Saturday.

It was a slow start for the Scottie offense going three and out on their first two series, while Ellsworth mounted a drive that resulted in a 35-yard field goal by Adijan Muhamedjic on their first drive of the game. Trailing 3-0 the Scottie defense preserved that that score as they came up with critical stops on the next two Ellsworth drives as Highland stopped the Panthers on a fourth down play inside the redzone which was stopped inside the five-yard line forcing a turnover on downs. While the Scotties ended another Ellsworth drive just into the second quarter in the endzone as Damarion Williams intercepted Bryon Jarrett.

The first points of the game for the Scotties came with 3:26 left in the first half as Highland put together a drive that included a fake punt on a fourth and 10 on the Scottie 41-yard line as Maxim Spruell ran for 21-yards to keep the drive alive. The drive was capped with a school record 50-yard field goal by Ryan Schemtob to tie the game at 3-3. As halftime loomed Ellsworth put together another drive and found themselves in the redzone again but the Scottie defense once again foiled the Panthers scoring opportunity as Williams intercepted his second pass of the day and the game went into halftime tied at 3-3.

Both teams start the second half with a lackluster first drive with the Scottie drive ending in an interception setting up Ellsworth on the Highland 29-yard line and the Panthers capitalized scoring three plays later on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Jarrett to Anthony Evans. After the extra point the Scotties found themselves down 10-3 with 11:48 remaining in the third quarter. The score remained in favor of the Panthers until the Scotties came up with some big plays late in the third as Kevin Brown busted a 13-yard run and Xavier Shephard connected with Antavious Cook for 59-yards setting up the Scotties on the Ellsworth 16-yard line. The next play Brown got the rock again and finished the drive with a 16-yard scamper to the endzone and with the PAT Highland once again tied the game this time at 10-10 with 1:01 left in the third quarter.

The clock flipped to the fourth quarter and Highland looked to take their first lead of the game at the 12:33 mark as Schemtob attempted a 34-yard field goal but the attempt was wide right and the game remained tied. Down the stretch of the game the Scotties once again got the ball with ample time left and mounted a drive moving down the field. The drive that was aided by a roughing the kicker penalty on a punt and the Scotties took advantage. After the penalty Brown ran for 38-yards down to the Ellsworth eight-yard line and Highland feed Brown again as he punched it in from eight-yards out giving Highland the lead for the first time on the day at 17-10 with 1:52 left in the contest.

Ellsworth again however moved the ball down the field getting to the Scottie 23-yard line in the final minute of the game. After incomplete passes on first and second down the Panthers went for the touchdown on third down and the pass was broken up by Williams in the endzone. That left one final play for Panthers to go for the touchdown and they went back at Williams again looking for Julius Coates for the second straight play and with an incompletion Highland took the game 17-10.

Scottie offense made the plays when need in the matchup as Brown led the group in the backfield rushing for 94 yards on nine carries and scored twice, while Shephard was the lead signal caller going 11-17 for 159 yards. Cook led the receiving core snagging two passes for 79 yards. On defense the Scotties intercepted three Panther passes as Kalil Brawner snagged one and led the team in tackles with 12 while adding a sack. Donnell Lowery recorded 11 tackles, while Darius Johnson finished with nine tackles. Williams was a force in the secondary picking off two Ellsworth passes and had six pass breakups.

Highland with the win improved to 2-0 on the season and have open the season with two straight wins for the first time since 2006. The Scotties head back home next week as the season continues on Saturday, September 8th when Highland hosts Butler in KJCCC action at 3:00pm at Porter Family Stadium.