Wildcats strike early in 35-9 win over Comets

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on myself.

To start last Friday’s home football game against Class 3A-District 2 rival Humboldt, the Charles City Comets attempted an onside kick … twice.

The Wildcats weren’t fooled in either case

Though Humboldt recovered the first attempt, the play was ruled dead due to an offsides penalty against the Comets. But then after teeing the football up five yards back at their own 35, the Comets attempted another onside kick. (Somewhere, Denver Broncos HC Sean Payton is smiling)

The Wildcats recovered this one, too, then proceeded to take advantage of the short field by scoring on a Lance Coon 3-yard run on their first possession on their way to a 35-9 road victory at Comet Field.

Coon would later score two more touchdowns with runs of 39 and 35 yards out while compiling a total of 176 rushing yards on 15 carries.

Senior quarterback Coen Matson rushed for 77 yards on 11 carries, including a 2-yard TD run, and — with a brilliantly executed play-action fake on a third-and-long snap — the lefthanded Matson connected with a wide-open Mason Van Pelt for a 60-yard catch-and-run TD for the Wildcats (4-2).

Comet senior Isaiah Roe rushed for a career-high 142 yards on 21 carries. Roe capped the game’s scoring with a 5-yard TD run 5:33 left in regulation after Charles City drove the length of the field on a drive that encompassed more than half of the fourth quarter.

Comet senior quarterback Jordan Foster completed 12 of 25 passes for 100 yards — he was picked off twice by senior Carson Sleiter, who made a brilliant play on a long pass intended for Keenan Wiley and then later intercepted a Foster roll-out pass in the end zone to thwart a scoring threat by the Comets late in the first half.

Foster did manage to complete several fourth-and-long pass attempts to extend several Comet possessions, including a 21-yard pass to Kaden Littleton after Foster took a snap in punting formation as a ruse.

Though he went 0-for-2 on his two onside kick attempts at the start of the game, Comet senior placekicker Jack Hanson was 1-for-1 on 37-yard field goal attempts to put Charles City on the board after the Wildcats had taken a 21-0 lead. Three-pointers from 35-to-40 yards may by routine at the NFL level if not collegiate level, they’re still a rare treat when successfully attempted in high school.

Comet senior Talen Weber has continued to assert himself on the defensive side of the ball after being cleared to play two games ago. Weber was credited with a game-high 8 total tackles with two of them going for losses while patrolling the field at linebacker.

Deacon Caspers and Jackson Ruzicka each recorded quarterback sacks; Roe teamed up with Colton Anderegg for another QB sack; and junior Trevor Carolan recovered his second possession-changing fumble of the season for Charles City (3-3), who will host Webster City (4-2) next Friday (Oct. 6) as part of “Future Comet Night”.

HUMBOLDT 35, CHARLES CITY 9

Scoring By Quarters

Humboldt 21 7 7 0 — 35

Charles City 0 3 0 6 — 9

Individual Scoring

H — Lance Coon 3-yard run (Nolan Gustafson kick) 9:57 1st, 7-0

H — Coen Matson 2-yard run (Gustafson kick) 6:31 1st, 14-0

H — Mason Van Pelt 60-yard pass from Matson (Gustafson kick) 3:48 1st, 21-0

CC — Jack Hanson 37-yard field goal 10:26 2nd, 21-3

H — Coon 39-yard run (Gustafson kick) 3:48 2nd, 28-3

H — Coon 35-yard run (Gustafson kick) 8:02 3rd, 35-3

CC — Isaiah Roe 5-yard run (Kick failed) 5:33 4th, 35-9

RECORDS — Humboldt 4-2, Charles City 3-3

Individual Statistics

PASSING — (CC) Jordan Foster 12-25, 100 yards, 2 INTs; Isaiah Roe 1-1, 0 yards. (H) Coen Matson 3-7, 99 yards, TD.

RUSHING — (CC) Isaiah Roe 21 carries, 142 yards, TD; Deacon Caspers 16 carries, 38 yards; Josiah Cunnings 1 carry, 17 yards; Keenan Wiley 1 carry, 1 yard; Jordan Foster 1 carry, 1 yard. (H) Lance Coon 15 carries, 176 yards, 3 TDs; Coen Matson 11 carries, 77 yards, TD; Mason Van Pelt 1 carry, 17 yards; Jackson Flahery 3 carries, 12 yards; Corey Dettmann 1 carry, 6 yards; Trey Al-Hameed 4 carries, 17 yards.

RECEIVING — (CC) Keenan Wiley 7 catches, 40 yards; Josiah Cunnings 2 catches, 24 yards; Kaden Littleton 2 catches, 31 yards; Deacon Caspers 1 catch, 10 yards; (H) Mason Van Pelt 2 catches, 71 yards, TD; Jackson Dodd 1 catch, 28 yards.

DEFENSE — (CC) Talan Weber 8 total tackles, 6 solo tackles, 2 tackles for loss; Josiah Cunnints 6 total tackles, 3 solo tackles; Jackson Ruzicka 5 total tackles, QB sack; Deacon Caspers QB sack; Keegan Bollman 5 total tackles; Trevor Carolan fumble recovery. (H) Cyler Cirks 7.5 total tackles, 5 solo tackles; Carson Sleiter 2 INTs; Corey Dettmann 5.5 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss; Grant Dieleman 7 total tackles, tackle for loss; Keegan Rasmussen, 6.5 total tackles, 4 solo tackles, tackle for loss.

Scoring By Quarters

Humboldt 21 7 7 0 — 35

Charles City 0 3 0 6 — 9

Individual Scoring

H — Lance Coon 3-yard run (Nolan Gustafson kick) 9:57 1st, 7-0

H — Coen Matson 2-yard run (Gustafson kick) 6:31 1st, 14-0

H — Mason Van Pelt 55-yard pass from Matson (Gustafson kick) 3:48 1st, 21-0

CC — Jack Hanson 37-yard field goal 10:26 2nd, 21-3

H — Coon 39-yard run (Gustafson kick) 3:48 2nd, 28-3

H — Coon 35-yard run (Gustafson kick) 8:02 3rd, 35-3

CC — Isaiah Roe 5-yard run (Kick failed) 5:33 4th, 35-9

RECORDS — Humboldt 4-2, Charles City 3-3