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Rocky Mountain 36, Coeur d’Alene 21
All year, quarterback Kobe Warr’s passes had never found the hands of the opposing defense. Through seven games, Warr had been surgical, throwing 14 touchdowns and not a single interception.
The Coeur d’Alene defense changed that in a hurry, picking off Warr’s first pass of the game to put the Vikings in the red zone in the blink of an eye. The Vikings capitalized on the turnover, with quarterback Jack Prka throwing an easy eight-yard pass to Luke McLaughlin for the first score of the night.
The Grizzlies’ start went from bad to worse, as the Vikings scored again on their next possession, Prka this time finding Gunner Giulio for a 50-yard catch-and-run.
The 14-0 point hole, didn’t faze Rocky Mountain, however. The Grizzlies rallied behind Warr and star receiver Jordan Erickson. After a banner game against Highland a week ago, Erickson once again made the opposing secondary pay, burning the state’s second-ranked defense on a 75-yard bomb, putting Rocky Mountain on the board midway throughout the first quarter. The Grizzlies would score again, this time via field goal after a Jack Prka interception. Warr found Erickson again to close out the first quarter.
In the second, Coeur d’Alene dug deep in the playbook, with receiver Tanner Langley throwing a 42-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Cope. But the fancy touchdown would be their last. Erickson again torched the Coeur d’Alene secondary, scoring from 67-yards out. The Vikings had a chance to take the lead late in the second quarter, but Rocky Mountain forced a goal-line fumble to take possession back.
It was all Rocky Mountain from there. Warr scored on a 15-yard run in the fourth quarter, and Arthur Williams iced the game on a 5-yard rushing touchdown with just over a minute left.
Rocky Mountain gets back to the state title game; the Grizzlies’ first appearance since winning the championship in 2018. Rocky Mountain will face Rigby next week. Time, date and location have yet to be announced.
Rigby 26, Mountain View 19
The Mavericks defied the odds all season-long, rebounding from an 0-3 start to finish one game away from a state title appearance.
But the defending champion Trojans proved to be a hurdle too tall for the Mavericks to clear, as Rigby held on to make a second consecutive trip to the 5A championship.
Gabe Mobley scored three touchdowns for the Trojans, putting the offense on his back in adverse conditions not conducive for quarterback Tiger Adolpho. Despite the snow, Adolpho would finish with 114 yards on the ground, while Mobley gained 158.
The Trojan defense held on in a scoreless fourth quarter, preventing Maverick quarterback Jake Farris from completing a single pass.
Rigby will face Rocky Mountain in next week’s state championship. Time, date and location for the title game have yet to be announced.
Emmett 27, Century 22
While neither squad enjoyed the accolades and season-long hype throughout 2020, Emmett and Century made the most of their chance to play for a slot in the 4A state championship.
The Huskies, underdogs all year despite downing traditional powerhouses, won a back-and-forth battle against the visiting Diamondbacks, thanks to a second-half comeback sparked by a late touchdown before the break that drew Emmett within two points.
Quarterback Caden Young hit Jack Maxwell late in the second quarter from 12 yards out, bringing the score to 16-14 in Century’s favor. The momentum shift carried into the third, with Young scoring two more times. He threw a six-yard TD to Tanner Wilkerson, then ran more than half the length of the field, scoring with his legs from 61 yards out.
Emmett will play in its first state championship game at the 4A level next week, squaring off against the classification’s top-ranked team in Skyline. The 4A state championship will take place in the Treasure Valley, but date, time and location have yet to be determined.
Skyline 20, Sandpoint 0
After a scoreless first half, the Grizzly offense kicked into high gear.
Quarterback Cade Marlow accounted for a pair of touchdowns, running one in himself and tossing another to receiver Abrahn Silverio. Skyline stifled Sandpoint’s attempt at a comeback, as Cooper Owen of Skyline intercepted Sandpoint quarterback Parker Pettit, returning the stolen ball 30 yards to the house.
Skyline will face Emmett in the 4A state championship next week in the Treasure Valley. Date, time and location have yet to be announced.
Sugar-Salem 35, Kimberly 27
The Diggers are one of just three teams in the state to reach this year’s state championship after making an appearance in the 2019 title game.
Sugar-Salem’s Crew Clark opened up the scoring with a 17-yard run, but the Bulldogs wouldn’t give in so easily. Race Widmier answered with a 14-yard score of his own to round out the first quarter. The Diggers and Bulldogs again traded scores, with Heath Owens scoring the game’s first passing touchdown on a 12-yard toss to Brett Bronson.
But that score would be Kimberly’s last for the next three Digger possessions. Sugar-Salem would rattle off three straight touchdowns, with Logan Cutler finding daylight twice, highlighting his 159-yard night. Owens would score two more times in the fourth, but the Bulldogs came one touchdown shy of reaching the 3A state championship.
Sugar-Salem will face either Homedale or South Fremont in next week’s title game.
West Side 7, Declo 0
The Pirates put forth a microcosm of tough, physical 2A football, winning a brutal, snowy bout against the Hornets to advance to another state championship game.
WIth icy flakes blowing nearly sideways across the field, West Side struck first off a Blaize Brown 45-yard touchdown run. The first quarter score would be the game’s last, with the Pirate defense hanging tough for the next three periods.
West Side will play Firth next week in the 2A state championship game at Madison High School. Time and date of next week’s game have yet to be announced.
Firth 7, North Fremont 6
Early winter wither smothered the eastern portion of the state, draping semifinal games in a blanket of snow, leading to some low scoring affairs Friday night.
A 2A Nuclear Conference showdown proved no different, with the Firth Cougars surviving their higher-ranked rival. After Jodan Lenz put the Huskies up after a 14-yard run, the Cougars were hard pressed to put anything up on the scoreboard, battling the elements all night. But the Huskies failed to score any extra points after the TD, proving to be the difference down the stretch.
A defensive miracle gave Firth new life, as Taden Jacobsen scooped a fumbled ball, returning it 70 yards through the snow for a Firth touchdown, the first and last Cougar score.
Firth will face West Side in the 2A state championship next week at Madison High School. Time and date of next week’s game have yet to be announced.
Raft River 66, Lighthouse Christian 22
The Trojans are heading back to the 1ADI state championship for the first time since 2016 after shellacking the defending 1ADII champ.
Raft River scored every which way, with quarterback Bodee Spencer rushing for two scores, Jed Boden and Thaine Loughmiller hauling in a pair of touchdowns combined and Ethan Bernad accounting for a trio of TDs on the ground. Bernad finished the game with 266 rushing yards, while Spencer completed five of six passes for 112 yards and two scores.
Lighthouse ends its first year in 1ADI at 7-3. Raft River advances to the state championship, and will face Oakley at Twin Falls High School. Date and time have yet to be determined.
Oakley 42, Prairie 40
Prairie did all it could to reach another 1ADII state championship game, but the Hornets held on in a thrilling shootout to give Oakley a chance at glory next week.
The Pirates outgained Oakley 603-449 yards, but the timing of the Hornets’ scores made all the difference in a rematch of last year’s semifinal game in the University of Idaho Kibbie Dome. Isaac Mitton threw for 290 yards and three touchdowns, with his last coming at the start of the fourth quarter to Austin Cranney from 30 yards out.
Prairie would answer with 11:28 remaining, with Tayden Hibbard running 50 yards to put the Pirates up 40-36. On the ensuing kickoff, Robert Wybenga sprinted 89 yards to the house, the last score of the game that ended with a goal line stand.
Prairie drove down the field, looking to put the game away on the back of a dynamic offense that had downed so many defenses all year. But a simple miscue spelled doom, as quarterback Cole Schlader fumbled the snap inches from the end zone, and the Hornets recovered.
Oakley will face Raft River next week at Twin Falls High School. Date and time for next week’s title matchup have yet to be announced.
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