To say the game was over by halftime would be an understatement.
The Cubs 42-7 blitz of Fredonia on Saturday was over after the Cubs powered their way down the field to open the game, scoring their first touchdown a 22-yard run by senior Kyler Allen and asserting that, just like in last weeks 48-6 win over Neodesha, the following 40 minutes of football would just be a formality.
The dominance puts head coach Logan Wyrick and the 2-0 Cubs in a tough spot. While hes more than pleased that his team is blowing through opponents, newcomers to their position like senior quarterback Dagen Goodner and senior tight end Tucker Hurst may not be getting the reps needed to prepare them for the long haul of the season.
It was hard to tell where we stood after last week, Wyrick said. And this week was kind of the same thing. You want to get other guys looks but at the same time, you want to give your starters a chance to gel. Dagen has maybe played three-quarters of quarterback this season which is nice but since hes so new to the position youd like for him to have more reps.
Despite those woes of the well-off, the Humboldt offense looked just fine in Saturdays game which was moved from Fredonia to Humboldt and then postponed thanks to the downpour that canceled multiple games across the area Friday evening.
Junior Conor Haviland had another electric game highlighted by a 43-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to put Humboldt up 14-0.
Goodner was sharp, too, ending the contest with four total touchdowns including two rushing and two passing. He found Hurst for a five-yard touchdown reception to put the Cubs up 20-0 and followed that up minutes later with a 13-yard touchdown run.
He connected with junior Jackson Aikins for a 30-yard touchdown and wrapped up Humboldts 42-point first half with a five-yard run with less than two minutes to play in the half. Goodner ended his day on an interception on fourth down on a pass that a quarterback could only throw with a 42-point lead.
The Cubs defense was strong, too, holding Fredonia scoreless up until there were 15 seconds left on the clock. Humboldt ended the day with three fumble recoveries.
Despite the dominant performance, Wyrick had multiple things hed like to improve on this next week
We could be stronger at the point of attack, Wyrick said. And then theres some tackling things we could improve on. But the biggest thing is continuing to make sure that were getting aligned correctly on defense. They ran some formations that we hadnt seen on film and its not that we werent ready but we just hadnt seen it before so we want to make sure those things are taken care of.
The continued improvement for the Cubs will be key. Some speculate that theyve already faced their strongest opponent this season in Neodesha and if thats the case, blow-out after blow-out could get tiring, even for the winning team.
Wyrick thinks that his team has the right mindset and experience to not let their goal of a deep-playoff run end early.
These kids who are seniors, Ive had them since my first year here when they were freshmen, Wyrick said. A lot played a bunch that first year and even more played when they were sophomores. They see the light at the end of the tunnel. Yes, going 7-3 last year was nice but they know what it feels like when it ends and they know that these wins arent the ones you want to be celebrating at the end of the year. So if they can balance that with staying focused week-to-week then thats the key.
Humboldt hosts Eureka on Friday and will try to keep their streak of dominance going against the 1-1 Tornados.