Playoffs.
That one word is, at least, the goal of every single high school team in the state when practice begins in the late summer each year. It's a goal that every team keeps in mind while grinding out the regular season schedule. For some teams, it's an event that happens most seasons. For other teams, it's something that may not come around as often.
It's the final week of the regular season for a lot of teams in 1AD2, 4A and 5A, but it's also the start of the playoffs for many teams in 1AD1, 2A, and 3A. And in the East this season, there are a LOT of contenders.
In Class 3A, there are some teams that could make some noise this weekend. With three playoff games at Holt Arena, coaches and fans can see some great high school football in one central location. Or, you could always tune into the broadcasts of all three games with myself and Lorin Jensen calling the action.
The Shelley Russets have been a juggernaut so far this season, ripping through their entire schedule harder than a tornado through a barn on the farm while posting a perfect 8-0 record. After some early hiccups, Snake River has found their groove and is looking to repeat as State Champions for the first time since winning five titles in a row from 1998-2002.
Don't forget about the Teton Redskins either. After winning only 6 games in the previous 6 years, Teton has reeled off a 7-1 record this season, with their only blemish coming against Shelley. Bear Lake is drastically improved this year and American Falls has the tools to post an upset in their game against Gooding on Friday night.
Sugar-Salem has a tough draw in their first game as they play Snake River. The Diggers have had their injury issues late this season. However, they do have one thing in their corner: a 'W' in their regular season matchup against the Panthers. Could Sugar-Salem put a quick end to Snake River's championship aspirations?
Here is the 3A State Bracket:
http://www.idahosports.com/tournaments/brackets/1213/Football/3a.aspx
In Class 2A, the talk all season has been about a potential repeat title-game matchup between Grangeville and Firth. Fortunately for both teams, the brackets ended up working out in a way in which that matchup could possibly happen. The Cougars have owned the Nuclear conference this season, including knocking off former perennial 3A contender Salmon, which dropped to 2A this season.
Salmon has had an interesting season. Between having their first game against Wood River cancelled due to the large forest fires and playing some home games at West Jefferson High School (a two-and-a-half-hour drive away), the Savages are extremely motivated to not have a short season cut even shorter. Salmon has the players in place to make some noise in the brackets.
West Side is always in the mix, finishing last season with a loss to eventual-champion Grangeville in the state semi-finals. Don't overlook Malad or Aberdeen either, as they both have some momentum heading into the playoffs coming off of their Kansas City Tiebreaker wins that determined which 2A South East Idaho conference teams would move on to the postseason.
The underdog of them all might be North Fremont. Coaches in the Nuclear conference have been saying all along that if the Huskies ever "figured it out" to watch out for them. After finally shaking off the 22-game losing streak that has haunted them for the past three seasons, North Fremont has posted two straight victories by a combined score of 90-13. Their first playoff game is against a strong West Side team, so even if they do fall this week, expect North Fremont to be back in the thick of things next season.
Here is the 2A State Bracket:
http://www.idahosports.com/tournaments/brackets/1213/Football/2a.aspx
In 1A Division 1, it's seemingly been Hagerman and then everybody else. The Pirates have been mowing over the competition left and right. Conference foe Butte County was the closest to knocking the defending state champions into the loss column, but they came up just short with a 38-26 loss in the Pirate Bowl.
Butte County will take on Notus this week for the probable right to play Hagerman in the State Quarterfinals. One of the other matchups this week features an intra-conference game between Grace and Raft River. The Grizzlies have had some close calls this season against weaker opponents and they need to be on upset alert heading into this weekend's game. Challis takes on Rimrock in what could also be an upset special.
Here is the 1A Division 1 State Bracket:
http://www.idahosports.com/tournaments/brackets/1213/Football/1ad1.aspx
The east side of the state is primed and ready to go for the title run. The only question that remains is how many championships could this side of the state bring home?
We've got a great slate of games this weekend that will kick off our State Tournament coverage here on IdahoSports.com. Don't forget to check the Friday Night Flash ticker on the homepage to get continual updates on scores in all six classifications from around the state.
You can also play the IdahoSports.com Grid-Iron Game Picks. It's like picking teams for the NCAA March Madness Brackets, but way better. Plus the winner gets an awesome prize! It's totally free to sign up and play too! Just sign up to be an Insider-Zone member and then get your picks in by clicking this link:
http://www.idahosports.com/gamepicks/default.aspx
Of course, to get the complete rundown on this weekend's games, tune into the Friday Night Flash Overtime Show at 10:35 p.m. with Paul Kingsbury. He will bring you breaking final scores, discussion on the hottest topics in high school sports, and interviews with media guys and IdahoSports.com broadcasters.
To watch the Friday Night Flash Overtime Show, click this link:
http://www.idahosports.com/gamestreams/player/default.aspx?webcastid=3814
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