ERIE — A lopsided affair ended with the Humboldt Cubs shutting out the Erie Red Devils for a 68-0 victory in Tri-Valley League football action Friday.
Humboldt employed a sweeping rushing attack combined with well-timed chunk plays through the air to score four touchdowns in the first quarter, three in the second, and two more during a running-clock second half.
“Hats off to Erie early on, they gave us a different look and we kinda struggled with it during the first drive,” Humboldt head coach Logan Wyrick said. “It was good to be able to rotate like we were last week and see that we were staying clean, doing our jobs, and executing.”
Erie’s defense did show some signs of strength early on. The Red Devils were avoiding chunk plays and even forced a fourth-and-10, but never did get a stop as Humboldt scored on each of its drives.
“It’s good to get into those situations… and be able to work through those situations,” Wyrick noted about the fourthdown conversion. “It was good to see us convert on that one.”
Erie head coach David Pitts noted his squad needs to get more consistent with following assignments on defense.
“When we do things right and we execute, we’re not too shabby,” he said. “When we don’t, everything just breaks down.”
Humboldt’s attack was heavy on the ground, as senior Blake Ellis (7 carries, 93 yards, 3 touchdowns), junior Mason Sterling (5 carries, 57 yards, 2 touchdowns), senior Cole Mathes (6 carries, 29 yards), and senior Logan Page (2 carries, 15 yards, 1 touchdown) all had strong showings out of the backfield.
“In the pads, with the stop and start, they can do some special things out there,” Wyrick said. “When we’re able to block correctly up front and open some holes, they’re able to do those special things.”
Pitts noted Erie was simply out-sized on the front lines.
“We knew we were gonna bend, we just weren’t trying to break,” he said. “It’s part of being disciplined. We’re still working on that.”
Erie’s offensive attack was led by senior Seth Welch, who rushed 13 times for 42 yards. He also completed a pass for 16 yards, but the Humboldt defensive line provided too many problems to allow Welch to find a groove.
“Seth is an absolute competitor. He competes hard every down, and we’ve gotta help him,” Pitts said. “He did throw it really nice, other times he was trying to throw off his back foot because he was getting pressured.”
Humboldt’s Mathes, Page, seniors Kyler Isbell and Matthew McCullough, junior Carson Russell, sophomore Hudson Rees, freshmen Weston Johnson and Ty Shaughenssey, each tallied tackles for a loss, with Russell adding a sack.
“We’ve got some beef up there and we haven’t always had that. We were able to rotate some more tonight and get some more guys to step up,” Wyrick said. “They’ve been playing bigger and bigger for us.”
The provided pressure led to Page and Shaughnessey grabbing an interception, and Shaughnessey and senior Brody Gundermen each recovering a fumble.
Humboldt added to its run game with a balanced passing attack. Ellis went 10-for-14 for 160 yards, spreading the ball around to senior Jacob Harrington (2 receptions, 52 yards), Sterling (3 receptions, 45 yards), Mathes (1 reception, 26 yards, 1 touchdown), senior Asher Hart (2 receptions, 22 yards,1 touchdown), and Page (1 reception, 9 yards, 1 touchdown).
After an early missed opportunity where a fake pass to the flat delayed his deep look, Ellis made some adjustments to complete a long toss in the second half on a straight drop for 44 yards.
“This is year three for Blake at quarterback,” Wyrick said. “He’s seeing things well, but when he’s open, we gotta get the ball out.”
Erie senior Aiden Wilson limited the damage from Ellis’ air raid, making multiple touchdown- saving tackles and breaking up a pair of passes.
“He’s got that real toughness, like a wrestler has. If you watch him, all his tackles were basically double-legs, single-legs,” Pitts said, expressing his belief that Wilson is an all-league caliber athlete. “He’s always in the right spot and does his job, and does it well.”
Up Next
Humboldt (3-0) continues a three-game road trip in week four, taking on the Eureka Tornadoes (3-0).
Erie (0-3) hits the road to take on the Jayhawk-Linn Jayhawks (1-2) in Mound City.
“We played them in the jamboree. Player-to-player, they’re gonna be a little more like us,” Pitts said. “I think we match up a lot better, but we’re still going to have to perform.”
