The Highland Huskies controlled the line of scrimmage — and the scoreboard in a 48-20 win at Columbus on Friday.

Senior Brenton Bonebrake totaled 244 rushing yards off of 17 carries, providing the majority of the Huskies’ 372 rushing yards. Quarterback Connor Grinstead went six for six on his pass attempts, racking up 150 passing yards.

Highland scored early, needing only four snaps after their first return to find the endzone with an 11-yard run from Bonebrake. Then, the Highland defense came out strong, causing two tackles for loss and one for no gain, forcing the Wildcats into a three-and-out. 

“We came out and executed our game plan really, really well,” said coach Scott Morel. “That was great to see for our players, to see their discipline and then see exactly what we wanted to see from them.” 

Highland scored on its second possession too, thanks to a 21-yard carry from Bonebrake on fourth-and-three, followed by another Bonebrake carry good for seven yards and a touchdown. 

Logan Bonebrake scored Highland’s third touchdown off a 40-yard reception. Although freshman kicker Jared Diaz needed three tries — due to two procedure fouls — the extra point was good to put Highland up, 21-0.

Brenton Bonebrake found the endzone again, set up by his 41-yard carry down the sideline, breaking a tackle before eventually being pushed out of bounds at the 17-yard line. He then scored on a 17-yard run to put the Huskies up 28-0 at halftime. 

Columbus finally scored in the first minute of the third quarter after quarterback Jeff Hoback found a hole and completed a 50-yard touchdown carry. But the Wildcats didn’t have much luck during their next possession, with the Highland defense holding them to only 8 yards before forcing a punt. 

When the Huskies regained the ball, Brenton Bonebrake returned it to the 34 yard line and then a pair of carries, for a total of 11 yards, set the Highland up for first-and-ten on the 23-yard line. Grinstead completed a 23-yard pass to senior Luke Miller to score, putting the Huskies up 35-7. 

The Highland defense held Columbus Junction to only 97 receiving yards (off eight receptions) and 222 rushing yards with five tackles for loss from Carson Netser, Grinstead, Logan Bonebrake, Chase Schultz, Devin Lovetinsky and Justin Sosa. 

“The entire defense played really well,” Morel said. 

And the offensive line succeeded in executing their blocks, which allowed for the team’s offensive success. 

“The biggest thing, our coaches have said, is if our linemen sustain their blocks, then we’ll get big holes,” Morel said. “And that’s exactly what happened.” 

SUMMARY

HIGHLAND PASSING: Connor Grinstead, 6-of-6, 150 yards, 3 TD, 0 Int.

HIGHLAND RUSHING: Brenton Bonebrake, 17-244; Grinstead, 10-70; Logan Bonebrake, 5-40; Logan McFarland, 2-16; Jack Peiffer, 1-2. 

HIGHLAND RECEIVING: L. Bonebrake, 4-103; Jaden Schmid, 1-24; Luke Miller, 1-23.

LEADING TACKLERS: Grinstead, 8.5; Yahir Jimenez, 7, Carson Netser 6.5.