OSWEGO — It was hardly a spotless victory, but it was enough to keep Humboldt High undefeated on the football season.
Humboldt’s Alex Murrow found Bryce Isaac for a 42-yard touchdown pass with 1:30 left in the third quarter to break a tie game in the Cubs’ 27-20 victory Friday at Oswego.
The win lifts Humboldt to 4-0 on the season.
“What a game!” head coach K.B. Criss exclaimed.
Humboldt overcame four turnovers, including a pick-six late by the Indians’ Ethan Carter in the second quarter that allowed Oswego to stay close.
Murrow was 14 of 32 passing for 268 yards and three touchdowns. He scored on a two-yard run in the first quarter, then tossed a 28-yard touchdown pass to Justin Meins in the second.
Oswego’s interception return cut the gap to 14-12 before Alex Murrow found Hunter Murrow on a 30-yard scoring strike 32 seconds late in the first half.
Oswego knotted the score at 20-20 on a 65-yard touchdown and two-point run by Brant Yeoman, setting up Alex Murrow’s bomb to Isaac.
The Cubs won despite netting only five yards rushing on 22 attempts. Alex Murrow rushed for 24 yards on 13 carries, and Jacob Carpenter had 12 yards on two carries. In seven other attempts, Humboldt lost 31 yards on seven carries.
“Our effort was good,” Criss said. “It was just at times we were our own worst enemy. We have to avoid turning the ball over at crucial points in the game. I was proud of our kids for grinding it out and finding a way to win.”
HUNTER Murrow led the Cub receivers with five catches for 84 yards. Isaac hauled in three receptions for 82 yards, while Meinz had two catches covering 62 yards. Carpenter added 27 yards on two catches. Caleb D’Armond had a 12-yard catch as well.
“We made some mistakes on both sides of the ball, but managed to punch the ball in the end zone when we needed to,” Criss said. “We never let our mistakes get us down and we fought through some adversity and managed to find a way to win the game.
“As a team, we need to keep improving,” he said. “We have to become more effective at running the football and controlling the ball on offense. We are capable, we will continue to work on that this week and get it cleaned up.”
Zach Osborn paced the defense with nine tackles and 2.5 sacks. Carpenter and Rhett Smith added seven tackles apiece. Each also had five solo tackles. Smith and Robbie Sellman each recovered fumbles.
Humboldt hosts Cherryvale Friday for homecoming.
