HUMBOLDT — Humboldt High knew Oswego’s defensive front was going to prove a tough foe to conquer Friday night.
So the Cubs went to the air — a lot.
Behind Nathan Whitcomb’s 388 passing yards and five touchdowns — “If that’s not a school record, it’s close,” an assistant coach said — Humboldt flew away with a 50-6 win over Oswego.
The victory lifts the Cubs to 3-1 on the season.
“Tonight marked the first time we put together four good quarters of football together, offensively and defensively,” assistant coach Mike Miller said.
The passing game relied on a teamwork approach, Miller explained.
The offensive line put up a steady wall of protection for Whitcomb to toss darts to myriad receivers.
“Nathan did a good job of reading the defense,” Miller said. “We knew they were strong front and that we’d have trouble running up the middle.”
So Humboldt usually left Whitcomb alone in the backfield, spreading out four and five receivers at time.
Whitcomb usually was spot on when finding the open receiver.
He tossed three touchdown passes to Tanner McNutt in the first quarter, capping each of Humboldt’s first three drives. The receptions covered 52, 15 and 33 yards.
Whitcomb capped the 26-point first quarter with a 20-yard scoring strike to Noah Thornbrugh.
Hunter Murrow pushed the lead to 33-6 at the break, courtesy of a 20-yard interception return for a touchdown. Whitcomb’s fifth touchdown pass, at the 10:15 mark of the third quarter, covered 16 yards to Thornbrugh.
Senior kicker Hayden Boring got into the act midway through the third with a booming, 44-yard field goal.
Whitcomb capped the scoring on the defensive side of the ball, returning an Indian interception 55 yards for a score.
The Cubs registered 415 yards through the air, while limiting Oswego to 99. The Indians’ only touchdown came on the game’s opening kickoff.
