RIVERTON — Humboldt High’s Blake Ellis rushed for 169 yards and three second-half touchdowns Friday, as the Cubs erased a two-point deficit to win, 24-14, over the Riverton Rams.
The victory, coming in the Class 2A playoffs, sets up a showdown next Friday at Sabetha between a pair of 9-1 squads.
Against Riverton, the Cubs put together several extended scoring drives, usually by runs into the heart of the Riverton defense.
Humboldt’s Cole Mathes plowed in from 4 yards out on Humboldt’s opening drive to give the Cubs a 6-0 lead.
A lost fumble on Humboldt’s second drive deep into Riverton territory gave the Rams momentum in the second quarter. The Rams marched 80 yards to take an 8-6 lead, and threatened to extend the lead after Humboldt fumbled away the ensuing kickoff with less than 2 minutes left in the half.
But Humboldt’s defense held on fourth down to end the half, and then forced a punt to start the third quarter.
That led to Ellis’s second-half hat trick. He scored on runs covering 3, 5 and 10 yards down the stretch.
Humboldt led 24-8 when Riverton’s Zach Feldkamp took a short pass from quarterback Ryan Goodman, broke a tackle, and suddenly found himself racing unimpeded for a 65-yard touchdown with about 7 minutes left in the game.
Humboldt put together another lengthy drive, holding the ball for about 4 minutes before turning possession over on downs.
The Rams hit on another long pass play to reach midfield, but Mathes stepped in front of a Goodman pass with about 2 minutes left to seal the win.
The win means Humboldt has won a regional playoff game — thus making it among the final eight teams in their playoff bracket — for the fourth time in the past six seasons.
Sabetha, the fourth-ranked Class 2A team in the state, advanced with a 45-34 win over Silver Lake.
