Garden City overwhelms Ellsworth on the road, 66–10

Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025 — Iowa Falls, Iowa

Garden City Community College bounced back from its first loss of the season with a ruthless all-phases performance, dismantling Ellsworth 66–10 on the road. The Broncbusters scored on offense, defense, and special teams, turning four interceptions into points and using their depth to control every quarter.

How Garden City Won

From the opening kickoff, Garden City dictated pace and field position. Quarterback Jaydyn Sisk set the tone with a 38-yard touchdown strike to Cenard Bennett on the opening drive, and defensive back Asher Horn immediately followed with a 33-yard pick-six to make it 14–0 less than three minutes in. The Broncbusters never looked back.

Sisk added a rushing score and a second TD pass before halftime, and the defense cashed in again with Greg Johnson’s 31-yard interception return just before the break to make it 45–3. Even after Ellsworth briefly cut into the deficit in the third quarter, Garden City responded with another Sisk-to-Bennett connection and two more touchdowns in the fourth, including Kaydon Degraffenreid’s 45-yard pick-six.

By game’s end, Garden City had piled up 490 yards of offense, forced four interceptions, and sacked Ellsworth quarterbacks seven times. It was the type of wire-to-wire dominance that reinforced the Broncbusters’ ceiling in year two under head coach Kiyoshi Harris.

Garden City Takeaways

Garden City’s offensive depth was on full display. Ten different players recorded a rush, eight different receivers caught passes, and both quarterbacks — Sisk and Tanner Helton — directed scoring drives. The rushing attack spread across J’kharri Thomas, Ahmir Smith, and Sisk himself, giving Ellsworth no consistent angle to defend.

Defensively, the Broncbusters turned pressure into turnovers. Four interceptions, three returned for touchdowns, swung the game into a rout. Jer’Quise “JJ” Clayton, Michael Floyde, and Nathan Baudry each notched sacks, collapsing the pocket and forcing hurried throws.

Special teams chipped in as well, with Lucca Alcaraz Valens hitting a 20-yard field goal and Garden City controlling the field position battle through strong punt returns and kickoff coverage. This was as close to a complete performance as GCCC has delivered in 2025.

Ellsworth Takeaways

The Panthers struggled from the start, falling behind 14–0 before their first first down. Quarterback Landen Mickelson and Devin Holman combined for 274 passing yards, but four interceptions and seven sacks undercut any rhythm. Running the ball was nearly impossible, as Ellsworth managed just 35 yards on 31 carries.

Still, the Panthers showed resilience in the third quarter, stringing together a 90-yard drive capped by a 46-yard touchdown strike from Holman to Courtland Campbell. That drive highlighted some playmaking potential in the passing game, but sustained success was rare against Garden City’s front.

Matchup Breakdown

Turnovers and field position. The biggest swing was Garden City’s ability to score directly off mistakes. Three pick-sixes — Horn, Johnson, and Degraffenreid — accounted for nearly a third of the Broncbusters’ points. Ellsworth’s miscues repeatedly gave GCCC short fields.

Depth vs. attrition. Garden City rotated backs, receivers, and defenders without any drop-off, while Ellsworth’s smaller roster wore down as the game stretched. GCCC’s time of possession advantage (37:17 to 22:43) reflected its ability to grind down the Panthers.

Quarterback contrast. Sisk was efficient (10-of-13, 156 yards, 2 TDs, plus 48 rushing yards), while Ellsworth’s passers combined for 20 completions but 4 costly interceptions. That efficiency gap was the defining difference.

Final Game Numbers

Final: Garden City CC 66, Ellsworth CC 10
Score by Quarters: [Garden City: 24 | 21 | 7 | 14 — 66] [Ellsworth: 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 — 10]

QB efficiency (GCCC): Sisk 10/13, 156 yards, 2 TDs; Helton 7/10, 79 yards. Sisk added 6 carries, 48 yards, 1 TD.

Explosive plays: Bennett 38-yard TD reception; Horn 33-yard pick-six; Smith 7-yard TD run in the 1st. Johnson 31-yard pick-six; Sisk 4-yard rushing TD in the 2nd. Bennett 39-yard TD reception in the 3rd. Helton 5-yard rushing TD; Degraffenreid 45-yard pick-six in the 4th.

Rushing leaders: Thomas 7–56; Sisk 6–48; Smith 11–41; Williams 6–32.
Receiving leaders: Bennett 5–99, 2 TD; Burton 4–46; Smith 2–35.
Defensive standouts: Horn (INT TD), Johnson (INT TD), Degraffenreid (INT TD); Floyde 2 sacks; Baudry, Garnett, Webb, Clayton each with 1 sack.

Team totals: Garden City 490 yards (255 rush, 235 pass), 34 first downs; Ellsworth 309 yards (35 rush, 274 pass), 15 first downs.

Penalties: Garden City 12–185; Ellsworth 9–83.
Possession: Garden City 37:17; Ellsworth 22:43.

Program snapshot: Broncbusters improve to 3–1 in 2025 with their most complete win of the season, forcing four interceptions and scoring in all three phases.

Up Next

Garden City (3–1) returns home looking to build on its dominant win at Ellsworth as the Broncbusters host Community Christian on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 11AM. 

Ellsworth (2–3) stays at home to host the Jayhawk Conference leaders in the Hutchinson Blue Dragons.