FORT DODGE, IOWA -- Ellsworth saw a 4th-quarter lead against 10th-rated Iowa Central slip away and the Panthers saw a former ECC quarterback rally his team for a 27-21 Iowa Community College Athletic Conference victory Saturday.  The Panthers got an outstanding effort from their own QB, Josh Bauer, who fired two scoring strikes, and the visitors added a special teams score, but the Tritons first tied the game on a long kickoff return after ECC had gone on top, and then scored what proved to be the game-winning TD on a 1-yard run by Byron Jarrett to pull out the win.  Jarrett, who began his college football career at Ellsworth back in 2018, reached the end zone on three 1-yard scoring runs.

The Panthers answered a Jarrett touchdown that opened the scoring with a tying score in the second quarter.  Bauer capped a 12-play, 95-yard drive with a TD toss to Darrius Jackson to make it 7-7.  ECC then went ahead when a blocked field goal attempt hit a Triton player and was recovered in the end zone by the Panthers' Colton Willis.  ECC maintained that 14-7 advantage through the 3rd period until Jarrett tied the game at 14-all with his 2nd TD.  Again, Ellsworth had the answer, this time with an 80-yard catch and run play from Bauer to Marcus Hardy that allowed the Panthers to regain the lead.  

Iowa Central returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to force another tie.  The go-ahead and winning score came on Jarrett's TD later in the 4th quarter.

To show the progress the Panthers have made during the course of the season they had lost an earlier game with Iowa Central, 66-17.

Bauer completed 17-of-36 passes for 303 yards and the two scoring throws.  He was intercepted twice.  ECC couldn't get much going on the ground, however, with zero net rushing yards.  Marice Whitlock ran 10 times for 30 yards and Cade Flaugh carried twice for one yard.  But 31 yards in losses resulted in the net rushing total.  Hardy snagged four passes for 144 yards.  Erastus Antsino caught three for 53 yards, Jackson also had 53 yards on five catches, including the TD reception, Aghogho Eyafe hauled in two passes for 37 yards and Whitlock caught two balls for 19 yards.

Ellsworth wraps up the 2021 fall season with a trip to Glen Ellyn, Ill., this Friday night for a battle with the College of DuPage.  The two teams squared off in the season opener in Iowa Falls in early September and DuPage won, 17-6.  Kickoff is 7 p.m.