HUMBOLDT — Both offenses were flying high for much of Friday’s Humboldt High homecoming tilt against Central Heights.
But the Cub defense stiffened down the stretch, and a key turnover allowed Humboldt to take home a hard-fought 42-27 victory.
The wild back-and-forth affair wasn’t settled until the Cubs scored the game’s final three touchdowns. The flurry came after Central Heights had taken a 27-22 lead early in the fourth quarter on a 6-yard touchdown run from Peine Gage.
Humboldt’s Gavin Gunderman took a screen pass from Ty Shaughnessy two plays later, and then streaked down the left sideline for a 79-yard touchdown pass — his third TD reception of the day — for a 28-27 lead.
The Cubs’ Kolton Hanson then snuffed Central Heights’s next possession with an interception at the Viking 31. Shaughnessy cashed in a 2-yard keeper for a 34-27 lead with 7:49 remaining.
The Cub defense then prevented the Vikings from getting as much as a first down on its next two possessions, allowing the Cubs to seal the win after forcing a fourth-down incompletion with 2 minutes left. Shaughnessy scored on a 1-yard keeper with 36 seconds for the final tally.
MOMENTUM swings were the order of the day until then.
Shaughnessy found Gunderman deep for a 47-yard touchdown to get things started, but the Vikings responded on their first possession with a 10-yard scoring pass from Bones Chase to Higbie Hans to take a 7-6 lead.
Humboldt came up empty on its next two possessions, the second of which ended with a lost fumble at midfield.
Gage capped the ensuing drive with a 1-yard touchdown run for a 13-7 advantage.
The Shaughnessy-to-Gunderman connection struck again, this time from 16 yards away, to push the Cubs back on top, 14-13, on Shaughnessy’s 2-point run.
The Vikings barely flinched, marching 10 plays to cover 83 yards, the final 41 coming when Chase connected with Compton Reed for a touchdown with 48 seconds remaining.
Humboldt didn’t take long to respond.
Shaughnessy found Hanson deep for a 46-yard game to set up shop at the Viking 6. Shaughessy barreled in for a score on the next play, making it 22-21 with 12 seconds left in the half.
Neither team did much in the third quarter. Humboldt recovered a fumble at midfield, but came up short on a fake punt.
Central Heights then missed out on a scoring play when a receiver dropped an open pass near the end zone. The Vikings turned the ball over on downs on the next play.
