Osage City and Humboldt each graduated a seminal player off a talented 2022 team. For Osage City, three-sport first team all-state pick Landon Boss is now playing football for Butler County Community College.
Boss finished with 3,246 yards of total offense and 40 offensive scores. Plus, Boss was 2A Defensive Player of the Year after 87 tackles, 13.5 for loss. Osage City finished 8-2 with a regular season win versus Humboldt, a district title and then a playoff loss to Humboldt.
For Humboldt, Trey Sommer had a huge year in the Cubs’ run-heavy attack. He passed for 529 yards with eight scores against one interception. He ran 223 times for 1,821 yards and 29 scores for an 8-3 squad. Plus, Sommer led with 64 tackles for a team where three of the top-five leaders were seniors.
Last season, Humboldt was 8-3 and tallied 37 points a game and permitted 16. Osage City was third in 2A with 42 points a contest and allowed 19. The defenses ranked No. 12 and No. 15, respectively.
Osage City was sixth in the classification with the percentage of snaps a pass at 44 percent. Osage City stood second in yards per play at 8.2, while Humboldt was fourth at 7.5. The Cubs ran the ball on 77 percent of plays, ninth in the classification, per the SunflowerSportsSolutions.com database.
This year, both teams have enjoyed success with a combined 9-1 record and replaced last year’s stars. On Friday, Humboldt (5-0, 2-0) will play Osage City (4-1, 1-0) in a critical Class 2A, District 2 contest. Osage City fell, 46-40, to Sedgwick in a non-district game last week.
Humboldt has outscored teams by an average margin of 45-3. The Cubs are fourth in offense and second in defense in 2A. Osage City is tenth in 2A offense with 36 points a contest and No. 13 in defense with 17 points permitted a game.
Humboldt has three blowout wins by shutout, and then earned a key 28-8 road victory in Week 2 versus Caney Valley, and a 14-7 home district win versus Council Grove in Week 4. Last year, the Cubs lost, 20-14, to Council Grove in a game that came down to the final play.
Osage City won this matchup, 42-34, last year, and then Humboldt picked up a 26-21 victory in a playoff rematch. The 2021 matchup was close, too, when Osage City won 42-30. Humboldt has six straight seasons of .500 or better. The Indians have six straight winning seasons with longtime coach Andrew Gantenbein.
Osage City sophomore Kasen Parsons has stepped in with 71 of 112 passing for 1,129 yards with 12 scores against four interceptions. He has rushed 72 times for 457 yards and five scores.
The Indians have averaged 8.1 per play, in line with last season’s numbers. Three players have between 12 and 13 catches: sophomore Quenten Stark, sophomore Dylan Theel and senior Jess Reece. Osage City is plus-eight in turnover margin. Sophomore Austin Lamb has enjoyed a breakout season with 38 tackles, while Parsons had 33 stops. Senior Logun Fager has six tackles for loss.
For Humboldt, junior Blake Ellis has emerged in Sommer’s place. He has 41 of 76 passing for 704 yards with 11 scores against three interceptions. Plus, Ellis has 65 rushes for 456 yards and four scores. Junior Cole Mathes has 59 carries for 403 yards and five scores. Senior Sam Hull has 20 catches for 363 yards and three TDs.
The top-four tacklers are all juniors. Kyler Isbell has 32 tackles. Humboldt has 7.4 yards per play, also in line with last season. The Cubs have run the ball 69 percent of plays.
A win by Humboldt would give the Cubs sole possession of first in District 2, while an Osage City victory would put the district in a three-way tie and shift the focus to the Indians’ game at Council Grove to close out the regular season.
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