Twenty-one bowl game wins is pretty impressive for a college football program … it's the most bowl victories in NJCAA history. On Sunday, Dec. 6, the Ellsworth Community College Panthers made it even better, securing their 22nd bowl game win, this time against Globe Institute of Technology by a margin of 32-19.
Globe was first on the board in this year's Graphic Edge Bowl game, but the Panthers matched them score for score in the first half and went into halftime down by just one (13-12), only because of failed 2 point conversions. ECC put a touchdown on the board 8 minutes into the first quarter when Jaleel Scott caught a 20-yard pass from quarterback JuJuan Young-Battle. ECC's Mitch Wieland took over at quarterback when Young-Battle was taken out due to an injury in the second quarter. Wieland quickly stepped up and hit Jerry Jones for a 7-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion on both plays failed.
The Panther defense allowed Globe Institute to score only one more time in the game, a touchdown late in the fourth. ECC was able to complete for three more touchdowns, taking them to the final 32-19 score.
In the third quarter, Xavier Washpun caught a 3-yard pass to score. That was followed by a 2-yard conversion pass from Wieland to Marcel Williams. Johnathan Boone caught a 23-yard pass from Wieland to finish off the third quarter. The fourth quarter saw more action for the Panthers, with a 1-yard fumble recovery by ECC defensive lineman Brandon McCracken for a touchdown.
Before his injury, Young-Battle was 7-10 for passing, with 1 touchdown and a total of 59 yards. Wieland came in and completed 9-14 passes for a total of 142 yards and 2 touchdowns. Washpun was the leading rusher for ECC with 95 yards and 1 touchdown. Boone was the leading receiver with 55 yards and one touchdown, followed by Williams who had 51 yards, Jerry Jones with 48 yards and 1 touchdown, and Scott with 22 yards and 1 touchdown.
The Panthers' defense was led by Ryan Guthrie, who had 14 total tackles (4 solo), Royce Peterson with 10 tackles (8 solo), and Dontrell Johnson with 2 interceptions.
Wieland was awarded offensive MVP game honors, and Johnson received the defensive MVP award.
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