Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Humboldt's Keegan Groat catches a touchdown pass against Solon last week during a Class 3A quarterfinal game at Mason Maach Field in Humboldt.

CEDAR FALLS — The no-frills Humboldt football team takes its show on the road and back to the UNI-Dome Saturday night, as the top-seeded Wildcats face No. 4 Mount Vernon in a Class 3A state semifinal.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Head coach Derrick Elman’s blue-collar squad may not be loaded with Division I talent or recognized for their flashy play, but Humboldt (10-1 overall) is perfectly fine with beating opponents the old-fashioned way: hard work, execution and sheer will.

“These kids all bought in from day one,” said Elman, who is 47-25 in seven seasons at the helm — including a 36-9 mark since 2021. “It’s just a really close group. They hold each other accountable and push each other.

“That’s what tends to make good teams great and the great ones special. The senior leadership, and leadership in general, has been so strong. It’s awesome to see. They truly care about one another.”

The Wildcats know they’ll have to all be on the same page and then some against the Mustangs in a rematch of this 2022 semifinal. Mount Vernon is also 10-1, with both an offense and defense ranked in the Top-5 of the 3A charts.

“They bring a lot of pressure on defense, and their offense is solid and disciplined,” Elman said. “We’re very fundamentally sound defensively, so we don’t deviate from the norm too much there. We know who we are and where our (strengths lie).

“On offense, we’ll tweak and adjust based on what we see going on as a coaching staff during the game. We just have to continue to put ourselves in a position to be successful.”

The Mustangs, who are 44-9 since 2020, are led by 6-foot-2 junior quarterback Kellen Haverback (2,053 yards passing, 24 touchdowns, 10 rushing scores). Senior Cooper Hird has rushed for 795 yards and 13 TDs, while junior Jake Jaspers (54 receptions, 833 yards, 8 touchdowns) is their leading receiver.

Mount Vernon is known for its blitzing, relentless style. Senior Kael Riniker (13 sacks) and classmates Nova Lane (10) and Ethan Wood (10) are 3A’s top three sack leaders. The 225-pound Riniker and 235-pound Lane have a combined 48 tackles for loss.

The Mustangs are balanced on offense, with 243 pass attempts compared to 313 rushes.

Brad Meester, a former University of Northern Iowa star and long-time Jacksonville Jaguars offensive lineman, is in his first season as the Mount Vernon head coach after serving as an assistant for five years.

Meanwhile, Elman knows the lay of the land well. The Wildcats advanced to the semis here in both 2021 and ’22 as a lower seed. Mount Vernon prevailed in a slugfest two years ago, 14-6.

“We’re going to head over a little early (on Saturday) and let the kids get used to being in the Dome,” Elman said. “I think that’s important: adjusting to the environment of indoor football. We learned that (in 2022).

“Other than that, we won’t be changing things up much. The kids know their routine and we like to keep things simple, because that’s what they expect.”

While Haverback ranks fifth in 3A for passing yards, HHS senior Coen Matson (2,249) is second. Matson has 2,562 yards from scrimmage, which is also the second-best mark in the class.

Junior Chase Flaherty (702 yards, 9 TDs) and senior Keegan Groat (692 and 8) are the Wildcats’ main receivers, with sophomore Cash McIntire rushing for 446 yards.

Sophomore Broedy Hendricks (15 tackles for loss), senior Landon Halverson (69.5 tackles, 11 TFL) and junior Cael Donahe (71 tackles) power the Humboldt defense, along with Flaherty (four interceptions) and senior Mason Van Pelt (three fumble recoveries).

Junior kicker Karson Rubel is 37 of 39 on extra points, and has converted four field goals in five tries.

“We feel like we have a lot of different kids who can make plays,” Elman said. “And no one cares who it is. They’re really supportive of each other and want the guy next to them to be successful for the good of the team. You need to have that in football.

“It’s not that we don’t have talent — the kids are just selfless, so it makes us more balanced.”

Elman knows “our community will make the trip (to Cedar Falls) like they have from the very beginning” on Saturday.

“The fan support is always so strong,” Elman said. “They’re awesome and they do so much for our program. It’s a great experience, getting to play in the Dome and seeing almost all of Humboldt there. It means everything to all of us.”