FREDONIA — Humboldt High’s Cubs knew the key to victory at Fredonia High Friday — stopping Billy Graves, the Yellowjackets’ standout quarterback.
“And aside from a couple of plays, we did a pretty good job of containing him in the first half,” Cub head coach Mike Miller said.
But Graves was able to escape the clutches of would-be tackles on more than one occasion, turning those broken plays into Fredonia points.
Graves had a hand in all five of Fredonia’s touchdowns in a 34-8 win.
The loss keeps Humboldt winless at 0-4.
“He got loose on us a few times, where we thought we had him corralled, only to see him break free of a tackle,” Miller said. “He made some big plays with his feet.”
Graves ran for a score and threw for another as the Yellowjackets led 14-0 after one period.
Humboldt’s sole score came in the second quarter on a five-yard touchdown run by Jock Wilson. Quarterback Derrik McCall connected with Austin Coy on the two-point attempt to close the gap to 14-8.
But that was it for Humboldt, as Graves tossed for one more touchdown in the third quarter, then running in the final two Fredonia touchdowns.
“We had some opportunities to score, but then we’d do just enough to not be able to capitalize,” Miller said.
But while the score may not indicate otherwise, Humboldt took steps as a team to becoming more competitive, Miller said.
“We’re relying on a lot of younger players, and they are coming along, starting to figure it out,” he said. “We’ll continue to do what we can to improve.”
Wilson rushed for 68 yards on 19 carries, while McCall rushed 15 times for 31 yards and completed 3 of 10 passes for 32 more. Hunter Murrow corralled a 25-yard reception. McCall also led Humboldt with 12 tackles.
Fredonia rushed for 311 yards and threw for 121 more.
Humboldt hosts Oswego next Friday for homecoming. The game also marks the start of district play for the Cubs.
Humboldt 0-8-0-0—8
Fredonia 14-0-7-13—34
Fredonia — Graves 40 yd run (Robert kick)
Fredonia — Humphrey 15 yd pass from Graves (Robert kick)
Humboldt — Wilson 5 yd run (Coy pass from McCall)
Fredonia — Thiggins 12 yd pass from Graves (Robert kick)
Fredonia — Graves 60 yd run (Robert kick)
Fredonia — Graves 1 yd run (kick failed)
Yellowjackets sting Cubs in TVL play
