Harper confident heading to Ellsworth

Fresh off a 20-10 win over NCAA Division III foe Wisconsin-Whitewater on Sunday, the Harper College football team (1-0) travels to Iowa Forks, Iowa to take on Ellsworth Community College (1-1) at 1 p.m. today.

The Panthers are ranked ninth in the NJCAA football poll.

For the Hawks to be successful, they will need to stop the sophmore pass-and-catch combo of receiver Dexter Holmes and quarterback Willie Kindel.

“(Holmes is) a pretty big concern for us” said third-year Harper coach Eric Waldstein.

Harper cornerbacks Martell Harris and Shayne Charpentier will spend plenty of time opposite Holmes.

It could be a long afternoon for the Hawks’ defensive line if they are unable to contain the athletic Kindel.

“The biggest thing we have to do is controll (Kindel), keep him from making plays” Waldstein said.

Ellsworth features four freshman starters on the offensive line. Waldstein hopes the Harper defensive line can exploit that fact and put pressure on Kindel.

Waldstein is pleased with the way freshman quarterback Cody Miller played in the Hawks’ season opener. The Harper coach envisions his stable of three speedy running backs — Ronald Zollicoffer, Edward Johnson and Greg Kennedy (Warren) — attacking the perimeter of the field in various ways. That might take away some of the effectiveness of Ellsworth’s blitzes.

An improved Harper offensive line might also help in that regard.

“This game will be a test for ust to see where we stack up agaisnt the rest of the conference,” Waldstein said.