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Here are the top performers from the first round of the postseason.

1. Case Van Leeuwen, Lighthouse Christian
Van Leeuwen, who was the team's starting quarterback last season, moved back under center Thursday with Justice Schrader sidelined with an injury.  Van Leeuwen ran for 143 yards and three scores while passing for 174 yards and two scores to lead the Lions past conference rival Murtaugh in the opening round of the 1A Division 1 state playoffs.

2. Treyton Allen, Butte County
The Pirates found themselves in a bit of a dogfight with Lapwai in Saturday afternoon's 1A Division 1 playoff game in Arco when Allen and the Butte County ground game took over.  Allen collected 157 yards and three touchdowns on the ground to help his team pull away from a talented Lapwai team to advance to the quarterfinals next week.

3. Cody Power, Dietrich
Another week, another strong performance from Power, as he completed 12 of 15 passes for 212 yards and three scores in the Blue Devils' win over Horseshoe Bend in the 1A Division 2 playoffs.  For good measure, Power also ran twelve times for 182 yards and two more scores, meaning he had almost 400 yards of total offense and had a hand in five scores in the win.

Honorable Mention
Kody Smith, Camas County
Riley Morey, Carey
Gus Wiggins, Castleford
Jackson Clemens, Clark Fork
Bass Myers, Clearwater Valley
Jaiden Hunt, Garden Valley
Kaelun Jones, Horseshoe Bend
Brody Backus, Idaho City
Terrell Ellenwood-Jones, Lapwai
Nic Kirkland, Lewis County
Eli Merrick, Murtaugh
Alex Murillo, Raft River
Jrew Plocher, Watersprings

GETTING HEALTHY

After limping to the finish line in the regular season due to injuries, the Raft River Trojans announced they were back with a resounding playoff win over a good Clearwater Valley team on Saturday.  Just in time for the postseason, the Trojans are starting to get healthy again.  Senior Treg Whitaker was a full-go and contributed seven tackles to a good defensive effort.  Tate Whitaker, who had been limited in recent weeks, had over 250 yards of total offense and had a hand in five touchdowns as well.  A healthy Raft River (6-3) makes the 1A Division 1 playoff bracket even tougher.

WHAT GIVES?

A sneaky-good quarterfinal matchup in the 1A Division 2 bracket features Garden Valley (8-1) and Mullan/St. Regis (8-2).  The homestanding Tigers have been a juggernaut offensively all season with no Idaho opponent able to hold the team below 48 points.  Caleb Ball, Blake Layton and John Pruitt spearhead an offensive attack that put up 344 points in six non-forfeit wins over Idaho opponents this fall.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Garden Valley allowed an average of just 12 points per game this season - and that includes 50 to Long Pin champ Council in a game where the Wolverines played a good chunk of the game minus its top players.  Senior Jaiden Hunt is averaging more than a dozen tackles per game with fellow seniors Aaron Nokes (over ten) and Trayson Corn (nearly eight) right behind on the stat sheet.

DISTRICT 4 RULES IN OPENING ROUND

Between the 1A Division 1 and Division 2 opening-round games, teams from District 4 were involved in seven games.  Six of them - Camas County, Castleford, Dietrich, Carey, Raft River, and Lighthouse Christian - won.  The only team to lose (Murtaugh) fell to a district foe (Lighthouse Christian) by eight points.  The only teams from outside of District 4 to win last week were Garden Valley (District 3) and Butte County (District 5-6).

Agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments!