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We usually award three weekly stars. But, since it was championship week, we feel it’s appropriate to award one star per team in each game. So four stars. You don’t get to the championship game by accident and, win or lose, recognition is deserved.

1A Division 2: Kendrick 68, Camas County 0

Camas County: Tyson Tupper

The senior ran for 91 yards for the Mushers on a day when the team’s offense had a difficult time sustaining anything. He was able to turn a few well-executed option plays into big gainers for Camas County, though they were on the wrong end of the scoreboard at the end of the night.

Kendrick: Ty Koepp

Look, we could have gone several different ways here. But when you complete 15 of 19 passes for over 400 yards and four passing scores – and add two more on the ground – against a team as good as Camas County, it’s hard to go another direction. Koepp’s storied, four-year career at Kendrick concluded with the program’s third straight state championship.


1A Division 1: Butte County 58, Oakley 44

Oakley: Kyler Robinson

The senior came into the game with an injured shoulder but played anyway, throwing for 358 yards and five touchdowns as the Hornets sought one of the rarest things in high-school team sports – a fourth consecutive state title. It didn’t quite happen but Robinson and the Hornets put on quite a show in the loss.

Butte County: Brody Westergard

In a performance that may have sealed up the 1A Division 1 Player of the Year honors, the two-way senior standout had 140 yards and two touchdowns rushing, 127 yards and two touchdowns receiving, and a game-altering, 95-yard fumble return for a score on the final play of the first half as the Pirates held off the hard-charging Hornets for the program’s firs football title.


Player of the Year Race Tough to Call

Coaches will vote on All-State and Player of the Year awards starting this week. The votes are collected, counted, and published by the Idaho Statesman but it’s the coaches who vote on the awards. Koepp and Oakley’s Porter Pickett were the Division 2 and Division 1 classification’s respective players of the year following last season. Koepp has a good chance to repeat as the Division 2 Player of the Year, but will face a stern test from Camas County’s Troy Smith and Rockland’s Teague Matthews. In Division 1, Westergard and Logos’ Jack Driskill appear to be the front-runners, but others like Oakley’s Bry Severe, Murtaugh’s Jr. Benites, and Kamiah’s Porter Whipple also deserve attention for their strong seasons. We’ll all learn together when the Statesman announces the results of the coaches’ voting in December.