A late start, turned into a resounding 70-0 home win for the Isabella Mustangs against the Ellwood Christian Eagles.

The game was delayed 23 minutes due to Ellwood Christian arriving late.

Once play got under way, it did not take long for Isabella to assert itself on the scoreboard.

Jarrett Baker got the start at quarterback for the Mustangs and his first pass of the game, a wide receiver screen to Jordan Campbell, went 43 yards for a touchdown for the game’s first points.

“We were hoping that we could heal some guys up this week, and that’s why we had a couple of starters not play,” Isabella head coach Tate Leonard said. “It was great execution, and the guys that filled in did an awesome job.”

Two possessions later, Baker dropped a deep ball in the lap of Jamie Patterson, who got behind the Ellwood Christian secondary en route to another 43-yard scoring strike. The passing touchdown was Baker’s second on the night and gave Isabella a 21-0 lead.

The lead extended after every Isabella possession, as both sides of the ball found the end zone.

As the offense scored at will, the defense did its part with four turnovers and never allowed Ellwood Christian to cross midfield.

Isabella preserved the shutout, while also diving deep into its bench to give several junior varsity players valuable playing time.

The shutout was a complete team effort, and that was evident when the first string defensive players would jump up and down and cheer on the junior varsity players.

“We definitely like those goose eggs,” Leonard said. “Anytime you can get those, it’s nice.”

Scottie Johnson returned an interception 18 yards for a touchdown, as the defense joined in on the scoring party.

Lance Price ran over defenders on his way to a team-high 57 yards rushing. Price also ran for a touchdown along with Jarred Campbell and Austin Brasher.

Baker, Cole Atchison and Jake Logan all spent time behind center and each found the end zone on the ground. Atchison also threw a 33-yard touchdown on a screen pass to Kendall Reeves.

Isabella travels to face Thorsby on Nov. 2 in the final game of the regular season. The Mustangs have already clinched a home game in the first round of the playoffs Nov. 10.