TWIN FALLS — Coming off a second-half meltdown against Jerome two weeks ago — its last road game — Thursday wasn’t the first time Twin Falls head coach Allyn Reynolds gave his players extra conditioning after practice because of a lack of focus and intensity. But just a day before its crosstown rivalry game at Canyon Ridge, with a chance at the state playoffs likely in the balance, this time the Bruins’ low energy levels almost had their coach at a loss for words.
“I have no idea,” Reynolds said. “I have no idea. It is one of those things were you would think they would be biting at the bit. It’s like a spoiled kid at Christmas who has had too many presents and it’s not special anymore. I don’t feel like it is special to these guys.”
There’s a slight possibility that the Riverhawks or Bruins could make the playoffs with two losses — which is inevitably what one team will have after today — but the mental gymnastics needed to figure out the permutations in such a scenario make it not worth thinking about.
Reynolds hopes that sometime before game time, his Bruins will have figured out that the Riverhawks aren’t the same team that was blown out in the Service Bowl in 2009 and 2010. They’re much more like the team that lost 18-6 in the matchup last year, probably better now that the Riverhawks offense is catching up to its defense, finally getting into the end zone last week.
“We need to learn not to just flip the switch Friday night,” Twin Falls running back and linebacker Jason Byce said. “We will have moments of brilliance but just break down, give up a big touchdown and just fall apart.”
Byce and his coach were stuck on the word consistency after practice. If they have any chance of finding it on offense, according to Byce, they’ll have to figure out how to get outside the Riverhawks outside line-backers — contain specialists.
The Riverhawks run the same system on defense that they did under former coach Dave Slotten, who was the defensive coordinator for Twin Falls two years ago.
But the Bruins only scored three times against the oh-so-familiar scheme last year, at home.
The Bruins are worried enough about themselves.
Coming off a 36-0 blowout of Buhl last week, Canyon Ridge coach Justin Alsterlund thinks his team is onto something.
“Our biggest problem all year has been mental breakdowns on the offensive line and stupid penalties once we get inside ten yard line,” Alsterlund said. “Hopefully our kids are peaking right now because this is the time to do it going into the three final league games.”
But Alsterlund knows that even with a raucous home crowd behind his team — it’s expected to surpass the 4,000 in attendance it saw last year — the Bruins won’t be the veritable rollover Buhl was last week,
“They are deeper, bigger, faster at cornerback and have two really good linebackers,” Alsterlund said. “But it’s a great opportunity to finally make this game a rivalry.”