Tuesday’s Class 3A playoff clash will be a study in contrasts for Humboldt High and its visitors from Central Heights.
While the Cubs have hit high gear with their prolific passing game — they capped the season with a whopping 500 yards through the air against Burlington — Central Heights likes to control the ball on the ground.
“They’re a very powerful team up front,” Humboldt head coach K.B. Criss said. “They like to run the ball and eat up clock.”
The Vikings (4-5) will play Humboldt at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Walter Johnson Field.
Central Heights relies on a trio of stalwarts for its offensive production, behind senior tailback Drew Beckwith. He follows blocks laid out by junior fullback Tristan Davis.
Lest opposing defenses crowd the line of scrimmage, Viking senior quarterback Zach MacAfee is fully capable of throwing over the top to Central Heights receivers, Criss said.
“The key for us on offense is to limit them on first and second down,” Criss said, “to force them into third-and-longs.”
On the other side of the ball, Humboldt must limit mistakes — penalties and turnovers — to sustain drives, Criss said.
“I’m sure they’ll come in with extra defensive backs,” he continued. “We have to take what they give us offensively.”
Humboldt has several weapons at its disposal.
Senior quarterback Nathan Whitcomb has little trouble distributing the ball to his stable of speedy receivers, Tanner McNutt, Noah Thornbrugh, Jake Crawford, Hunter Murrow and Jacob Carpenter. Now, the Cubs have another downfield target for opponents to worry about. Senior Hayden Boring — who’s also a standout kicker — caught two touchdowns in the regular season finale.
The Cubs also must be assignment-sound on kickoff and punt coverage, Criss said.
Both teams are riding winning streaks. Humboldt swept past its final three opponents — all district foes — by an average of 38 points per game.
Central Heights stood at 2-5 at one point before closing the season with wins over West Franklin and Osage City.
Cubs to host Vikings
