*photo courtesy of Molly Bird
The Hampton-Dumont-CAL football team will begin district play Friday by hosting #7 (3A) Humboldt. It’ll also be the Homecoming game.
The Bulldogs (2-2) will look to bounce back from last week’s 41-21 loss at Nevada, where they gave up 20 points in the fourth quarter in an otherwise close game. Head Coach Cole Miller says continuing to be dynamic on offense will be a key, as well as defending Humboldt quarterback Coen Matson. His 896 passing yards are the second-most in the district, and he’s a dual threat with the ability to run.
“Someone’s got to have eyes on him every play,” Miller says. “Defensively, we need to be in a position to stop him from running the ball. I think he’s got 56 carries and 51 throws, but he’s pretty much the center of their whole offense. So we’ve got to work on stopping him and making someone else be able to beat us. That’s going to be huge. And just making sure that we’re schematically correct, because if there’s mistakes in the scheme or kids aren’t doing what they’re supposed to, he’s going to find that and exploit it. So definitely have to play fundamental football this week.”
Humboldt (3-1) has been tested with the third-best strength of schedule in Class 3A, according to BCMoore. They lost 26-17 at home to #4 (4A) North Polk last week, which was preceded by wins over Spencer, Ballard and #4 (2A) Van Meter.
A Bulldog win would be their first in the series since 2011. Humboldt won 14-7 last year. The kickoff will be at 7:00 p.m.
Cole Miller interview:
