WELLSVILLE — Money may not be able to buy happiness, but it sure can help on the football field.
Wellsville High’s Nash Money, a lightning-quick junior running back, made life tough for Humboldt High’s defense Friday, rushing for 216 yards and five touchdowns.
Meanwhile, the Cubs came up empty on a pair of long drives sandwiched around halftime.
“And it kind of snowballed from there,” Humboldt head coach Logan Wyrick said.
The resulting 40-0 Wellsville win snaps a five-game Humboldt winning streak and drops the Cubs to 3-1 in Class 2A, District 2 play.
It also sets up a pivotal regular season-ending contest against visiting Osage City next Friday.
Like Humboldt, Osage City is 3-1 in the district standings. Wellsville cinched the district crown with the victory.
“We need to get a couple of guys back, and have them be truly healthy,” Wyrick said, noticing the Cubs were down two linemen, junior River Kaufman and senior Colton Slocum, due to either illness or injury.
“It makes a difference,” Wyrick said.
Humboldt’s defense was dinged in the first half on Money touchdown runs covering 24, 2 and 15 yards before the Cubs mounted a scoring opportunity late in the second quarter.
A pair of personal foul penalties and a key 12-yard pass from Gavin Page to Dakota Slocum on third down put the Cubs at the Eagle 10.
But Page slipped on the wet turf on fourth down, giving the ball back to Wellsville as the half ended.
Then, Humboldt took the second half kickoff, and chewed up more than half the third-quarter clock on a slow-but-steady march into scoring position.
But the 13-play drive was thwarted with a 10-yard sack when Humbodlt lined up in a “swinging gate” formation, and a pair of Cub penalties.
Page’s heave into the end zone on fourth-and-21 fell incomplete, giving Wellsville possession.
Dakota Slocum’s interception two plays later gave Humboldt another golden opportunity, but that drive, too, went nowhere.
“We kind of shot ourselves in the foot,” Wyrick said. “You’ve gotta capitalize on that.”
