High School Football: Cubs 73, Jayhawks 0
MOUND CITY A few minutes after Humboldt High devastated Jayhawk-Linn 73-0 here Friday night, Dagen Goodner, Tucker Hurst and Conor Haviland were walking off the field.
Im coming guy, Im coming, David Watts barked, and then plowed into the threesome. As they marched on toward the dressing room it was a fitting way to end Humboldts most thorough victory in goodness knows when.
Those four, three seniors and Haviland, a junior, were largely responsible in authoring a most unlikely outcome, from perspective of sheer numbers and domination.
Haviland scored six touchdowns, Goodner, Hurst and Watts one each, with the 10th registered by Cooper Jaro, a quick-footed junior.
On Oct. 18, 1924, Grantland Rice wrote one of the best known and most-often quoted sports stories of the 20th century. He referred to four exceptional Notre Dame backs as The Four Horsemen, borrowing the phase from the ode to The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Two of Humboldts quartet play in the offensive backfield and the other two, Watts and Hurst, occasionally find themselves behind the line of scrimmage, but few other four players grouped on one team are as effective game and game, play after play. All four have toiled at the varsity level since their freshmen years and they undoubtedly send shivers up opposing coaches spines when its their turns to try to find ways to hold them in check.
THE GAME was the Cubs first away from the friendly confines of the Humboldt High Sports Complex, with its artificial turf and upscale amenities.
Coach Logan Wyrick was well aware that playing on grass, perhaps let grow tall to find succor against the Cubs quick-strike offense, took his charges to the old Walter Johnson Field last week for practice.
We ran our basic stuff over and over to make sure it was embedded on a field not as fast as Humboldts, Wyrick said. Whether that was a factor is hard to figure in such as a lopsided game.
We came to play, he continued. Weve been chompin at the bit since last year, when Jayhawk-Linn ruined Humboldts chance to host a first-round playoff game with a late come-from-behind victory.
In their last outing, when they as rolled up 56 points against Eureka, the Cubs werent as crisp as their coach would have liked.
Friday night they we as crisp as fresh celery, and the line, populated by unsung players whose expertise determines in large measure whether backs make a yard or two or break off a nice run, was particularly outstanding, Wyrick allowed.
Want to name one or two, they hardly ever get mentioned, he was asked.
All five, Wyrick replied. They all played extremely well Caleb Klauman, Reid Barnett, Watts, Taylor Lassman and Joshua Hull.
Reid went to school at Jayhawk-Linn until second grade and this was a special game for him. Barnett was one of Humboldts four captains.
