SABETHA — For two quarters, a hotly contested Class 2A state quarterfinal matchup between Humboldt and Sabetha had a little bit of everything to keep fans entertained.
Between wild momentum swings fueled by fumbles and huge pass plays, host Sabetha had threatened to pull away.
But Humboldt pulled some magic out of its hat as well.
Senior Sam Hull ran a Blue Jay fumble 52 yards for a touchdown. Then he forced, and recovered, a second Sabetha fumble in the waning seconds of the second quarter.
Cub quarterback Blake Ellis found receiver Jacob Harrington streaking down the sideline two plays lat
er for a 79-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the half.
Sabetha’s tenuous lead looked anything but secure.
Alas, the Blue Jays took full advantage of their superior depth in the second half, scoring on all five of their possessions in the third and fourth quarters to pull away, 49-18.
The defeat ends Humboldt’s season at 9-2. Sabetha (10-1) travels to unbeaten Nemaha Central on Friday with a berth in the state championship game on the line.
“They definitely wore us down,” Humboldt head coach Logan Wyrick said. “They’ve got 23 seniors. We’ve got six. Nobody can doubt our effort. We just didn’t execute a few things in the first half.”
Humboldt threatened to take the lead on its initial possession, chewing up half of the first quarter before losing a fumble at the Blue Jay 15.
The teams traded punts from there before the Cubs struck first, when Hull scooped up the Blue Jays fumble for the long touchdown.
Undaunted, Sabetha responded with a wallop, marching 73 yards on 12 plays, capped by a 22-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell Kramer to Christian McAfee.
Then, after Humboldt punted again, Kramer found Nate Menold open down the middle for a 70-yard touchdown pass.
Humboldt’s hurry-up offense failed to get a first down, allowing Sabetha another chance to extend its lead.
But Hull’s strip tackle of a Blue Jay ball carrier gave Humboldt possesion with time for a snap or two.
