LAST YEAR — A 7-1 Humboldt team needed a blocked punt and a pick-six interception to eventually fend off Perry, 28-19. Wildcat quarterback Drew Thomas was 7-13-1 for just 52 yards but hit two short TD passes, with Kyle McBeth running for 142 of Humboldt’s 258 yards on the ground. Perry threw for 218 yards, with Ryan Rathje 6-15-1 for 167 yards and two TDs to Will Whiton, who returned a kick off for a score. The Bluejays gained just 71 yards on the ground on 25 carries.
PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS — Humboldt secures the a playoff spot (likely the third-place slot) with a win. If the Bluejays pull the upset, the Wildcats can still back into the postseason if Webster City tops Boone and Carroll beats Greene County.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS — Humboldt is 1-2 outside of District 2, losing at Spencer (24-13) and at Garner-Hayfield/Ventura (34-16) to open the season. The Wildcats have looked great one week, not-so-great the next. They scored a 54-27 win over Boone in week three, lost to Carroll, 42-14, in week four, then fell to Algona, 23-20 in week five. The Cats beat a Greene County team (14-0) that was playing without QB Daric Whipple, then looked tough in a 20-6 loss to Webster City. Humboldt stepped out of D2 to defeat Forest City, 34-20, last week.
Thomas is 93-of-213 passing for 1,366 yards and 13 TDs but has been careless at times, resulting in 13 interceptions.
Mason Wickett (33-554, 5 TDs) and Devon Clark (30-290, 2 TDs) have been, by far, the main targets, with Tony Nielsen (15-244, 4 TDs) and Colton Monson (9-186, 1 TD) also involved in the aerial attack.
McBeth has five scores and 494 yards on 117 carries, with Thomas rushing 72 times for 377 yards and four TDs. Humboldt has 980 rush yards on 221 carries as a team.
The Wildcat defense has made 14 interceptions and seven fumble recoveries, returning one of each for a score. Wickett’s 57.5 tackles lead the team and include nine stops for a loss and three sacks while Monson — who has an 80-yard kick return for a score — making 47 tackles and recording seven interceptions, tied for third-best among all classes.
ABOUT THE BLUEJAYS — Perry has been outscored 272-56 overall and 190-43 in D2 play. The Jays have been shut out three times and trail only Atlantic (538-518) for fewest rushing yards in Class 3A. Perry is the only school with less than five rushing scores, with Taviar Lucas’ two-yard dive against Carroll the only TD on the ground for the Jays this season.
Lucas has been a bright spot as a receiver with three TD grabs. His 41 receptions is tied for fifth in 3A while leading the district. An inability to protect QB Ryan Rathje long enough to throw deep passes has meant most of Lucas’ grabs have been for short yardage, as his 305 snags (7.4 ypc, 41st in 3A) reveals.
Marcus Meri (12-140), Jacob Thompson (12-125, 1 TD), Adan Medina (8-83, 1 TD) and Eli Saemisch (10-50) lead the receiving corps.
Rathje has hit 84-of-154 passes for 644 yards and three TDs. He has been picked off six times. Reserve Wyatt Halling is 3-for-3 for 85 yards and two scores — both on tipped passes in the late moments of games.
Saemisch (70-266), Lucas (39-159, 1 TD) and Gage Welch (37-155) top the rushing list.
Solomon Pierce’s 48 tackles is a team-best, with Mark Campos recording 45 stops, Joe Olvera 44 and Saemisch 39.5. Pierce has eight tackles for loss, with Saemisch and Nic Fellom (26 total tackles) each tallying a team-best three sacks.
Perry has intercepted six passes and recovered five fumbles, with touchdown returns on one of each type of turnover.
PROBABLE STARTERS
PERRY Offense
No. Pos. Name Yr. Ht. Wt.
72 LT Joe Olvera 12 6-2 270
67 LG Tyler Soll 11 6-0 265
79 C Gil Garcia 12 5-8 245
71 RG Alonzo Zarate 12 5-8 210
66 RT J.R. McCord 12 6-0 255
84 TE Marcus Meri 12 6-1 180
4 QB Ryan Rathje 12 6-4 170
35 FB Adan Medina 11 6-1 185
27 TB Eli Saemisch 12 6-0 190
22 WR Jacob Thompson 12 5-10 160
13 WR Tavier Lucas 12 5-10 190
6 PK Alvaro Soto 11 5-5 145
PERRY Defense
No. Pos. Name Yr. Ht. Wt.
83 DE Solomon Pierce 12 6-3 190
72 DT Joe Olvera 12 6-2 270
67 DT Tyler Soll 11 6-0 265
53 DE Tanner Darr 12 5-11 185
26 OLB Nic Fellom 11 5-8 150
35 MLB Adan Medina 11 6-1 185
27 OLB Eli Saemisch 12 6-0 190
22 CB Jacob Thompson 12 5-10 160
15 FS Brandon Juarez 11 5-9 155
2 SS Kade VanKirk 12 5-8 140
1 CB Mana Martinez 10 5-4 120
22 P Jacob Thompson 12 5-10 160
DISTRICT 2
| District | Overall | Point Diff Avg |
|||||
| Win | Loss | Tie | Win | Loss | Tie | ||
| Webster City | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 10.00 |
| Carroll | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 8.60 |
| Greene County | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | -0.40 |
| Humboldt | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 | -0.60 |
| Boone | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | -1.40 |
| Algona | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | -2.67 |
| Perry | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | -13.00 |
Friday’s Games
Humboldt at Perry
Algona at Storm Lake (ND)
Boone at Webster City
Greene County at Carroll
