Football Preview: Humboldt Cubs vs. Central Heights Vikings
The Humboldt Cubs will square off against the Central Heights Vikings at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Humboldt's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last six matches.
Humboldt's defense heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat West Franklin 66-0 on the road. The result was nothing new for the Cubs, who have now won five matchups by 38 points or more so far this season.
Mason Sterling was his usual excellent self, rushing for 129 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries, while also picking up 73 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Those 129 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Cole G. Mathes was another key player, gaining 106 total yards and three touchdowns.
Humboldt didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off five passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Gavin Gunderman and Sterling. Sterling is trending in the right direction considering he's improved his point production for three straight games.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Humboldt was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 459 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 194 rushing yards in seven consecutive games.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Central Heights, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They managed a 20-14 win over Eureka on Friday.
Central Heights can attribute much of their success to Brody Roullett, who rushed for 50 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 85 yards and a touchdown. Central Heights also got a significant boost from Armoni Velez, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 86 yards.
Humboldt's victory was their eighth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-0. As for Central Heights, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a nice bump to their 4-3 record this season.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Humboldt has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 288.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Central Heights struggles in that department as they've been averaging 178.7. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Humboldt against Central Heights in their previous meeting back in October of 2019, as the team secured a 70-8 win. Does Humboldt have another victory up their sleeve, or will Central Heights turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
