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To read Part 1 of Week Four Observations, click HERE.
Calvary 38, Mackay 6: Not only did the Saints pick up their first home win in their first home game in program history, they smacked a traditional 1AD2 powerhouse while doing so. They've only won one game, but it was a conference game. Mackay is having a rough go of it this year after graduating a couple of key players.
Aberdeen 28, Snake River 21: The Tigers came back down by three touchdowns to win this one. It says a lot about Aberdeen's game philosophy to be able to beat a perennial 3A contender like Snake River. It can only help them as they enter 2A SEIC conference play. The Panthers need to regroup and re-evaluate.
Firth 59, Ririe 7: The Cougars put up 51 points on the board by halftime. That's back-to-back weeks they've essentially sealed the win by halftime. Ririe, on the other hand, is still rebuilding their program, and doing so without Dean Hodges, who is out for the season with a torn ACL. That leaves DeWayne Hodges as the marquee offensive playmaker... and opposing defenses know it.
Murtaugh 34, Butte County 32: Upset of the season? Possibly. When you have two schools that decide to co-op about two weeks before the season starts, you would normally not give them much of a chance. Things came together for the Red Devils against the Pirates. Butte County lost quite a bit from last year's state finalist squad. While I would've ranked the Pirates about 3rd or 4th in the state as opposed to 1st, they're still a good team. But I don't think anyone saw Murtaugh sliding in and putting an 'L' in Butte's loss column.
Highland 41, Pocatello 6: The Black & Blue Bowl has had some great games over the years. This game was not one of them, especially if you are a Pocatello fan. The Indians, clearly down this year from talent turnover and injuries, just could not keep up with the Rams. Highland has won 43 of the 57 games in Black & Blue Bowl history.
Preston 7, Blackfoot 3: Where, oh where, have the Broncos gone? And where did the offense go? In their first two games, Blackfoot averaged 38 points per game. In their last two games, they've averaged 12 points per game. Preston is looking up under coach Nick Hyde. They would be 3-0 against Idaho competition if it weren't for a narrow one-point loss to Rigby. I'm interested to see how they stack up against Bonneville and Century.
Rigby 21, Century 19: Whatever Rigby head coach Randy Waite is doing with his team, he needs to keep doing it. Five straight wins have put his team in the playoff conversation. The Trojans have shocked me every week, as I've felt that they could return to the "Old Rigby" at any point... but I've been pleasantly surprised. It's nice to see teams that have been the doormat for years gain prominence and make some noise. Century, on the hand, was touted to be the class of the conference along with Bonneville. Close losses have not helped their case, as they will now have to fight harder to make the playoffs. That Diamondbacks/Bees game on Oct. 18 at the Dome will be HUGE. If Century loses that game, you could kiss their playoff aspirations goodbye.
Sugar-Salem 72, Malad 36: The Diggers ran for a ridiculous 578 yards on 60 carries, an average of 9.63 yards per carry. Sugar-Salem passed only once in the game for five yards, which means that if you average it all out the Diggers gained 9.56 yards every PLAY. That's pretty much a first down each snap of the ball. It's not like Malad didn't score either. Brody Hubbard caught three touchdown passes from Griffin Green, who had four TD passes. The Dragons also got a nice rushing TD from K.C. Snyder. But if you're the Malad defense, you've got to know that Sugar is going to rush the ball 98% of the time. By all means, this was not a defensive free-for-all.
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