DOME ENCORE
Humboldt headed back to 3A football semifinals
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HUMBOLDT -- The team after "the team" is leaving its own legacy at Humboldt High School in 2022.
Behind a big-play offense and a defense again refusing to relent, the third-seeded Wildcats held off No. 6 Independence in a Class 3A state quarterfinal rematch on a chilly evening at Mason Maach Field Friday, 34-26.
Head coach Derrick Elman's squad scored four touchdowns spanning 40 or more yards, including two in the final four minutes of regulation to all but seal the landmark victory. The Humboldt defense then came up with a pair of critical stops -- one which led to a bit of misfortune, with the other official securing back-to-back trips to the UNI-Dome for the Wildcats.
"It's a pretty surreal feeling," Elman said. "I can't even tell you how proud I am of this group. A lot of people thought we had a great run (last season), but because of the guys we lost to graduation, that would probably be it. It really pushed our guys, and especially our seniors. They felt like they had something to prove.
"They didn't want to put up with not following in the footsteps of (the 2021 squad). It became a real motivating factor very early in the offseason. They kept their heads down and went right right back to work."
Senior Lance Coon had 184 yards rushing, breaking free on long touchdown runs of 70 and 42 yards. The former came on the first play of the second quarter to give the Wildcats (10-1 overall) a 14-0 lead; the latter was a virtual backbreaker with 1:54 left in regulation to give Humboldt some breathing room and a 34-24 advantage.
Senior Will Orness had 160 yards and a career-high three passing touchdowns. Orness found Corey Dettmann on a 46-yard scoring strike to break the ice on the contest's opening drive, then hit senior Trever Beach for a 3-yard strike and a 20-6 Wildcat lead with 4:48 left in the third period.
Ahead just 20-18 with 3:52 remaining in regulation, Orness hooked up with Dettmann again for a 54-yard TD to push it back to a two-possession edge.
Dettmann, a junior, finished with 152 receiving yards. He had 296 total through the first 10 games.
The Mustangs (10-2) didn't go quietly. They were on the doorstep of trimming a 34-24 deficit when a forced fumble inside the Humboldt 1-yard line changed possession back in favor of the Wildcats with less than two minutes to go.
Independence recorded a safety on the next snap and got the ball back down by eight points late, but Orness intercepted a pass to end it.
"That was a tough situation, because we came up with a big stop but had no breathing room about an inch or so out of the end zone," Elman said. "No. 77 for them (Korver Hupke) got some drive and put us in a tough spot. So it was up to our defense to get one more stop and they came up clutch, like they have all year.
"The defense comes to play every game. They're tough and won't back down from a challenge with a bend but don't break mentality."
Senior Mitchell Johnson did it all for the Mustangs, throwing for 257 yards and rushing for 117 more.
"He's a really good ballplayer," Elman said of Johnson. "They were solid up front, too. But our offensive line did a tremendous job, and Lance, Will and Corey made some huge plays. Lance was really patient running the ball, Will was outstanding, and Corey's catches were like driving nails every time they thought they had us stopped.
"We lost (all-district standout lineman) Kaleb McCullough to injury a couple of weeks ago, but (junior) Cael Newell has really stepped up in his absence. We have that next-man-up mentality."
Senior Ty Gargano, Dettmann, senior Owen Hubbell and Beach led the defense in tackles.
Coon admitted this Humboldt ballclub didn't want to carry a one-hit wonder moniker with it after last season's run to the semis -- the Wildcats' first since 2006. Now, they're back in the final four, where they'll face No. 2 Mount Vernon on Saturday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. in Cedar Falls.
"It was one of the biggest motivators on this team," Coon said. "When you have doubters, you will always work harder to prove them wrong. We had a driven offseason with one goal in mind: to make it back one game at a time.
"God has opened doors I never thought imaginable, and I truly believe that He was the deciding factor this evening (with) the power of prayer."
Elman noticed the resilience of his returning players very early in camp.
"During workouts, they would always say, 'Coach, we've got one more in us. One more rep, one more set.' They were just hungry from day one. Never enough."