ERIE — A football purist might have been bored here Friday night — unless swathed in Humboldt High’s orange and black — as the Cubs thumped Erie’s Red Devils 38-0.
The game never was in doubt.
Regardless, the victory was doubly sweet for the Cubs, for two reasons:
— By winning Humboldt assured itself a share of the Tri-Valley League championship, its first crown since 2008.
— The victory steered the Cubs in the preferred direction as district play started. Friday upcoming they host Jayhawk-Linn, and then journey to Arma the following week to take on lowly regarded Northeast High School.
Statistically, the Erie game was a feeding frenzy for Humboldt’s high-powered offense. The Cubs piled up 279 yards in the first half, 190 coming on the ground, and must have had 150 or better on kick returns.
The most spectacular of plays for the Cubs, on a night when they weren’t in short supply, came early in the second period.
Conor Haviland, a double-quick sophomore, decided to field a Erie punt as it dribbled toward the Cubs’ 10-yard line. He dashed past several would-be tacklers and, with a couple of mates running interference on the last Red Devil with a chance, he bolted into the end zone.
The 90-yard score was the longest of the season for the Cubs.
By then, to be quite honest, the game was in the bag for the Cubs. Erie hadn’t made the slightest overture of being able to solve Humboldt’s defense. The Cub line consistently, as it has all season, occupied their foes across the line of scrimmage and Humboldt backers had a field day.
Middle Linebacker Dagen Goodner, who earned state honorable mention as a sophomore, had his best game of the season, jamming routes Erie runners tried to take advantage of and, when they did make past the Cub line, Goodner was there with crushing hits.
He was credited with 15 tackles, and had second and third hits on several others.
David Watts, another junior who directs his large, muscular frame with the grace of a cat on the prowl, had 10 tackles.
While those two underclassmen had outstanding nights, all of the Cub defense should be cited for frustrating Erie to the point of depression.
The Red Devils had just 46 yards, all on the ground, on 24 plays from scrimmage in the first half. Humboldt, with 10 plays going for 13 yards or more, had just 22 total while racking up its impressive 279 yards.
HUMBOLDT FIRST series — it received to start the game — fizzled, in large measure because of an untimely holding call.
But on its second possession, after Erie was three and our with four yards gained, the Cubs made quick work of a 46-yard drive after a 36-yard Haviland return of an Erie punt. A Kyler Allen to Goodner pass, on which he made a diving catch, was good for 16 yards. Jacob Barker and Hesston Murrow had consecutive thrusts of six and 22 yards and Barker then waltzed two yards for six points. Haviland out-sprinted Erie defenders for the two-point conversion.
