Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Humboldt players hoist a Class 3A state semifinal trophy on Saturday night in Cedar Falls. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

CEDAR FALLS — The post-game scene in the media room said it all: ice packs, fresh bandages, tattered wraps, cuts and bruises.

Blood, sweat and, of course, tears.

For nearly three hours on the field at the UNI-Dome on Saturday night, a Class 3A state semifinal between Humboldt and Mount Vernon looked more like a tug of war than sleek indoor football on turf. Hard hits, defensive stands and very little margin for error kept the scoreboard at a virtual standstill after the second-seeded Mustangs marched down the field for a touchdown on the opening drive.

In the end, the No. 3 Wildcats couldn’t quite close the gap as undefeated Mount Vernon escaped and punched its championship-game ticket by a 14-6 margin.

It wasn’t for lack of trying on the part of Humboldt players and coaches. The Wildcat defense stopped five different Mustang drives in Humboldt territory, taking bend-but-don’t-break to a whole new level.

Ultimately, head coach Derrick Elman’s squad simply couldn’t generate enough offense to catch Mount Vernon (12-0 overall) — an opponent every bit as good statistically as Humboldt in a game that lived up to the defensive hype.

“I personally believe these are the two best defenses (in 3A),” Elman said of the squads ranked 1 and 2 in least points allowed. “When your kids are willing to fight like this, it just makes you so proud as a coach. (The Mustangs) have scored a lot of points this year (third-best offense in the class at 37.1 points per contest), so to hold them to 14 is pretty awesome.

“We took a lot of body blows, and the defense was put in some tough spots, but they kept hanging in there. The defense was lights-out all year. The kids left it all on the field.”

The Wildcats (10-2) fell behind 14-3 on the first play of the fourth quarter, and had only generated 124 yards of total offense to that point. A second field goal by Trever Beach — from 22 yards out — pulled Humboldt back within a single possession with 5:52 left in regulation, though, and the Wildcats drove to the Mount Vernon 16-yard line late thanks in large part to a 40-yard pass from Will Orness to Corey Dettmann.

In a sequence symbolic of the struggle, the Mustangs responded by backing Humboldt into a 4th-and-36 situation after the ensuing three snaps. A desperation Orness heave toward the end zone was intercepted right at the goal line, and Mount Vernon had prevailed.

“I’m so proud of our guys,” said Orness, one of 21 Wildcat seniors who helped the school reach the semifinals in back-to-back campaigns. “We worked really hard to get here and no one thought we’d (reach the semis again after heavy graduation losses).

“We had a lot of (players) step up, even if they weren’t playing positions they weren’t used to at first (Orness switched from receiver to quarterback). I’m just thankful I got to be a part of it.”

The Mustangs were able to establish the run with relative consistency, carrying 33 times for 157 yards. Henry Ryan rushed 19 times for 104 yards, and quarterback Joey Rhomberg did just enough scrambling to keep the Humboldt defense honest.

Rhomberg also completed 22 of 35 passes for 148 yards. The Wildcats gave up only a single run of over 20 yards — to Ryan on the opening possession of the contest — and a late 25-yard completion from Rhomberg to Brady Erickson, which ultimately led to Mount Vernon’s second touchdown.

The Mustangs, who will now face top-ranked Harlan on Friday for the 3A title, reached the Humboldt 33, 18, 24, 22 and 23 yard lines without coming away with a single point following their successful initial drive. Dettmann and Ty Gargano intercepted passes on consecutive possessions late in the second quarter.

A 54-yard run by junior standout Lance Coon led to Beach’s first field goal from 33 yards out with 4:06 left in the first quarter. Coon had 58 yards on 15 carries, giving him a 3A-best 1,566 yards on the year.

Orness threw for 131 yards despite being under constant duress. Dettmann caught five passes for 52 yards, with Joshua Thurm grabbing two for 45.

Tayeton Lohaus recorded 2.5 tackles for loss. Gaige Allen, Michael Illg, Josh Beldin and Beach were the leading tacklers for Humboldt.

Beach finished the season 9-for-9 on field goal tries.

The Wildcats allowed more than 14 points only one time in 2022. The program boasts a 21-3 record in the last two seasons combined.

“I heard Corey (Dettmann) say (afterward) that only one team gets to walk away smiling after it’s all over,” Elman said. “Three of the four teams playing in the Dome have to deal with this feeling. But that doesn’t overshadow what we’ve accomplished and what it took (as a program) to get back here (for a second consecutive season).

“Not a lot of schools are able to say they reached the final four in back-to-back years. When our guys are 40 years old, they’ll be able to come back (to Humboldt) and see that in the trophy case. Nothing will take that away from them. It obviously hurts now, but this has been a special run for our program and the community.”

Seniors Orness, Gargano, Lohaus, Beach, Thurm, Beldin, Illg, Hunter Dery, Carrson Bothne, Jayden Drewis, Jack Opheim, Owen Hubbell, Kyle Caquelin, Jayse Allen, Christian Lee, Peyton Weers, Levi Bonnstetter, Brody Patterson, Evan Hundertmark and Drake Lowe suited up for the final time in a Humboldt uniform on Saturday. Standout lineman Kaleb McCullough, who was sidelined by an injury late in the regular season, is also a senior.

Orness, Beach, Lee, Lohaus, Beldin and Illg were starters on both sides of the ball. Hundertmark, Weers, Caquelin, Bothne, Hubbell and Gargano were the other senior starters.

H MV

First Downs 6 18

Rushes-Yards 21-47 33-157

Passing 131 148

Comp-Att-Int 9-18-2 22-35-2

Total Offense 178 305

Punts-Avg. 5-36.2 3-33.0

Fumbles-Lost 1-0 1-0

Penalty-Yards 4-35 4-36

Humboldt 3 0 0 3 — 6

Mt. Vernon 7 0 0 7 — 14

Scoring Summary

Mount Vernon — Brady Erickson (18-yard pass from Joey Rhomberg), 9:28 left first quarter. Ben Crock kick.

Humboldt — Trever Beach (33-yard field goal), 4:07 left first.

Mount Vernon — Joey Rhomberg (4-yard run), 11:55 left fourth. Crock kick.

Humboldt — Beach (22-yard field goal), 5:52 left fourth.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Humboldt: Lance Coon 15-58, Will Orness 6-(minus-11). Mount Vernon: Henry Ryan 19-104, Joey Rhomberg 7-36, Jackson Hird 5-27, Team 2-(minus-9).

PASSING — Humboldt: Will Orness 9-18-2-131. Mount Vernon: Joey Rhomberg 22-35-2-148.

RECEIVING — Humboldt: Corey Dettmann 5-52, Joshua Thurm 2-45, Trever Beach 1-35, Mason Van Pelt 1-(minus-1). Mount Vernon: Brady Erickson 6-64, Evan Brase 4-34, Caden Stimmel 4-19, Jensen Meeker 2-15, Henry Ryan 2-12, Austin Deeb 3-8, Zatyk Holub 1-(minus-4).