HUMBOLDT — With Mother Nature making her presence felt, Humboldt High wasn’t able to do much on offense Tuesday. THE GAME was played in conditions best described as “aerosol,” with a steady south wind blowing a wet mist onto the players and fans. THE DEFENSE TOOK it from there. CARPENTER led the Humboldt offense with 87 yards on four carries. Whitcomb added 29 yards on the ground.
Turns out, it didn’t need to.
The Cubs withstood a wet, gusty south wind, and then withstood a late Central Heights offensive challenge in the opening round of the Class 3A playoffs.
Humboldt’s Hunter Murrow corralled Jordan Horstick’s final pass of the night for an interception at the Cub 2 as time expired, securing the Cubs’ 13-6 victory.
The win means Humboldt (8-2) advances to the second or regional round of the 3A playoffs. Humboldt will travel to Cherryvale (7-3), a surprise 32-18 winner over Galena Tuesday.
“I’m proud of our team for finding a way to win the ball game,” Humboldt head coach K.B. Criss said. “It was a gutsy, gutsy effort by several people.”
The wind also dictated strategy throughout the night.
“We just didn’t want to do anything silly and have a turnover,” Criss said. “Offensively, we struggled.”
Nonetheless, Humboldt was able to strike quickly.
After Central Heights came up empty in its first possession, Humboldt’s Alex Murrow found Justin Meins on a 50-yard pass play on the Cubs’ first play from scrimmage.
Caleb Vanetta scored three plays later on a 12-yard touchdown run to put Humboldt up, 7-0.
The Vikings responded with a 17-play, 80-yard drive that chewed up more than 7 1/2 minutes of the clock. Central Heights twice converted on fourth down, capping the drive on Jacob Pryor’s 3-yard run.
But the extra-point attempt was short, and Humboldt retained a 7-6 lead.
The Cubs lost a fumble on their next possession, but again held on defense after the Vikings drove into scoring possession.
Humboldt forced consecutive incompletions from Horstick on third and fourth downs to take possession at the Cub 34.
Jacob Carpenter took the handoff on the next play from scrimmage and zipped around the Viking defensive linemen.
“That’s when I saw what a great job Rhett Smith and the rest of the line had done with the blocking,” Carpenter said. “There wasn’t anybody within 10 yards of me.”
Carpenter raced down the sideline, then cut back and zipped across the field just beyond the reach of the Viking defensive secondary.
“I kind of surprised myself with my speed,” he said.
His 66-yard touchdown with 1:31 left in the half re-established a seven-point cushion.
The Cubs came up empty on their first possession of the third quarter — a fumble on a fourth-down run lost four yards — but also held on the Vikings’ fourth-down attempt.
Humboldt’s ensuing drive fizzled at the Viking 18.
Central Heights again began driving, aided by a pair of huge Cub penalties, including a roughing the kicker call on fourth-and-13.
“I couldn’t tell you what we were thinking there,” Criss said.
But a pivotal holding call on the Vikings, one snap after Criss was heard yelling at the officials to watch for it, nullified what would have been a first down to the Cub 17.
“Our guys were getting frustrated, because they were holding, but the officials wouldn’t call it,” Criss said. “You could see them pulling on our jerseys. All we could do was keep telling the officials to watch it.”
The drive ended on a fourth-down incompletion two plays later.
Humboldt held again on the Vikings’ next drive, and Corey Whitcomb picked up a key first down with about 2 ½minutes left, allowing the Cubs to hold possession until the final minute.
But Whitcomb’s run on fourth-and-three fell short, giving Central Heights the ball back with 52 seconds left, albeit 85 yards from the end zone and against the gusty south wind.
But Horstick still guided the Vikings down the field on a steady diet of sideline passes.
The Vikings were at the Cub 28 with 5 seconds remaining when Hunter Murrow’s pick ended the game.
Murrow completed 3 of 12 passes for 60 yards. Meins’ sole catch went for 49.
Carpenter rang up 16 tackles on defense before leaving late in the game with an injury.
“I think it was just a cumulative effect of so many hits,” he said. “I’ll be OK.”
Hunter Murrow added 12 stops and the clinching interception. Grayson Pearish had 10 tackles. Siemens had seven tackles and a pick.
“We had a couple or three kids who were banged up and just kept grinding it out,” Criss said. “We couldn’t pull them off the field if we wanted to. When you have players like that, it makes it special, no matter what the outcome is. We have a special, special group of kids who have been through a lot together.”
The game sets up a rematch with Cherryvale, which downed Humboldt 47-31 Oct. 4.
“We know we just have to play a lot better on defense,” Criss said. “They’re a good team, and it will be a challenge.
“At the beginning of the year, nobody gave our team much of a chance because of our seniors that we lost to graduation,” Criss continued. “But the kids had something to prove, and they played with a chip on their shoulder most of the time. They’re one of 16 teams left in 3A, with another opportunity on Saturday.”
Central Heights 0-6-0-0—6
Humboldt 7-6-0-0—13
Humboldt — Vanetta 12 yd run (Vanetta kick)
CH — Pryor 2 yd run (kick failed)
Humboldt — Carpenter 66 yd run (run failed)
CH Humboldt
First downs 14 4
Rushes-yds 35-108 28-137
Passing yds 155 60
Total offense 263 197
Passing 24-42-2 3-12-0
Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-1
Punts 3/27 3/32
Penalties 4-25 7-67
Individual Statistics
Rushing: Humboldt — Carpenter, 4-87; Whitcomb, 10-29; Vanetta, 11-13; A. Murrow, 3-8. Central Heights — Pryor, 17-44; Horstock, 5-29; Davis, 7-12; Robertson, 4-6; Holler, 1-2.
Passing: Humboldt — A. Murrow, 3-12-60 yards. Central Heights — Horstick, 24-42-155 yards-2 interceptions.
Receiving: Humboldt — Meins, 1-49; Korte, 1-6; H. Murrow, 1-5. Central Heights — Holler, 6-62; Erhart, 6-40; Brown, 2-15; Davis, 1-11; Robertson, 3-6; Pryor, 3-5; Roelker, 1-3.
Tackles: Humboldt — Carpenter, 16; H. Murrow, 12; Pearish, 10; Siemens, 7; Schomaker, 5; Osborn, 5; Modlin, 5; Haviland, 4; D’Armond, 3; Meins, 2; Griffiths, 2; Riebel, 2; Vanetta, 1; Smith, 1.
Cubs withstand Viking charge, 13-7
