HUMBOLDT — Barely fit for man or beast, Friday night’s weather was apparently just fine for Humboldt High football players.
Humboldt relied on its dominance at the line of scrimmage to cruise to a 64-7 victory over Riverton.
The win puts Humboldt (10-0) in this week’s Class 2A sectional showdown against Council Grove (7-3), who had a 30-8 win over Silver Lake.
If the opponent sounds familiar, it should. Humboldt was a district foe of Council Grove’s in 2022 and 2023. The teams split those two matchups in a pair of defensive slug-fests. Council Grove edged the Cubs, 20-14, in 2022, while the Cubs prevailed, 14-7, last fall.
“They’re gonna do a lot of good things,” Humboldt head coach Logan Wyrick predicted. “They’re a really tough-nosed, defensive team.”
HUMBOLDT, the top-seeded team in Class 2A, reminded folks it isn’t too shabby.
The Cubs had little trouble at the outset, using only two plays to go 45 yards, including Mason Sterling’s 29-yard touchdown run, less than a minute into the game.
Things got a little crazy after that.
Humboldt’s Asher Hart intercepted a Riverton pass on the Rams’ first snap of the game, but the Cubs immediately turned the ball back over to Riverton on a bad snap on the next play.
A holding play nullified a Rams first down, forcing Riverton to punt from midfield, which Humboldt’s Kyler Isbell blocked, giving the Cubs the ball at midfield.
Blake Ellis cashed in three plays later on a 29-yard touchdown run.
The Rams came up inches short on a fourth-down attempt on their next possession, opening the door for a 40-yard touchdown run from Sterling, giving the Cubs a 24-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Things started humming along nicely after that.
Sterling’s 14-yard touchdown early in the second quarter upped the lead to 32-0. Cole Mathes was next with a 49-yard jaunt and Ellis scored on a 13-yard run with 30 seconds left in the half.
But Ellis’s score came at a cost. He landed awkwardly on his back as he crossed the goal line, and required assistance leaving the field.
