PHOTOS: A Record Setting Night, Ellwood City Beats New Brighton 62-40

History is being made at Ellwood City.

In a wild offensive showcase Friday night that featured over 100 combined points and 1,000 combined yards of offense by the Wolverines and Lions, another pair of century marks were reached individually by two Ellwood City juniors who combined to lead the Wolverines to a 62-40 victory on Homecoming night.

Running back Elijah Palmer-McCane rushed for 285 yards and four touchdowns on the ground and quarterback Chris Smiley threw for 275 yards and five touchdowns.

The effort put the junior backer over 1,000 (1,098) for the second consecutive year while Smiley’s aerial effort put him over 1,000 yards passing (1,077) in his career.

According to the Ellwood City Football Boosters, this is the 1st time in school history that a QB & RB collected more than 1,000 yards in the same season. This is also the first time a Wolverines quarterback surpassed the century mark since John Price in 1982.

On Friday, Smiley completed 14-19 passes including a 55-yard touchdown to Palmer-McCane in the second quarter.

After the visiting Lions briefly took the lead in the second quarter, the screen pass hook-up between Smiley and Palmer-McCane was the first of four unanswered touchdowns by Ellwood City who sprinted ahead to 34-20 halftime lead.

Smiley connected on a 38-yard touchdown strike to Domenik Hogue and on a 46-yard touchdown to Dayntae Pierce in the frame. Palmer McCane added a 44-yard touchdown run for the Wolverines who scored 27 points in the second quarter alone.

Palmer-McCane opened up the second half scoring with a 14-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, but after New Brighton receiver Mike Veon hauled in a an 85-yard touchdown the section contest was a one-score game late in the third quarter.

With history on their side, the Wolverines responded again.

Palmer-McCane bookended a 24-yard touchdown pass from Smiley to Michael Walters with two more rushing touchdowns in fourth quarter, his fourth and final rushing touchdown – a 48-yard scamper midway through the fourth quarter – capped the scoring for the Wolverines.

The Ellwood City offensive totaled 653 yards of total offense on the evening, an average of 11.5 per play, and only punted once.

For New Brighton, Mike Veon collected nine receptions for 244 yards receiving and three touchdowns in defeat. Quarterback Brian Taylor finished with a game-high 297 yards passing as the Lions (0-7 Overall) posted 447 yards of total offense.

Ellwood City (4-3 Overall, 2-2 Section 2A-2) next travel to Beaver Falls (3-4 Overall) Friday night for its first away game of the season.

HOMECOMING: Giovanna Huth was crowned the 2023 Homecoming Queen during halftime.  Joseph Roth earned Homecoming King Honors. Homecoming Queen’s Court included Kaci Barnett, Valeria Avalos Ciudad, Keira Rozanski, Julia Nardone; Back row: Kaylee Shriver, Giovanna Huth, Claire Noble, Annabelle Woodhead.