Calvary Chapel 62, North Gem 60: How is this for an accomplishment? The Calvary Chapel Saints could clinch their first ever conference championship with a win at Rockland on Oct. 25 or a North Gem loss against Mackay on Oct. 18. By the way, this is the Saints first year as a full member of the IHSAA. Pretty neat if the tiny Christian school from Idaho Falls can accomplish that.

Butte County 68, Grace 28: This game last year gave the Pirates fits. A couple of Butte County players were knocked out of the game,and the Grizzlies surprised the Pirates (and most of East Idaho) with their victory last time around. This year it was all Butte County from start to finish. The Pirates have important games coming up against Raft River and Hagerman (Pirate Bowl II). A win against Raft River would probably guarantee the kids from Arco a home playoff game. A loss probably means a road trip to play a District III team.

Firth 47, West Jefferson 0: The Panthers losing streaks now stands at 15, their last win coming in October 14, 2011. Firth, on the other hand, has been the conference leader for what seems like the same amount of time. The Cougars have (hopefully for them) used their last few games to prepare for big games at Salmon and at North Fremont in the next few weeks.

North Fremont 32, Salmon 26: I think it’s time to give the Huskies their due. After breaking free of a 22-game losing streak last year,the kids from Ashton picked up a big win for their program over a high-octane Salmon team. The Savages now need to regroup against Firth and pick up the win, or they will face the prospect of getting to play the 2A SEIC conference champion in the first round of the playoffs. We all know Salmon can pass and run the ball… but can they stop anybody? We’ll find out this Friday when they welcome the Cougars to town.

Shelley 35, Preston 7: It’s a result that we seemingly have come to expect from the Russets. A 35-7 win is always solid. But if you look at the stats, it was more of the Kaden Schmitt show. Shelley’s QB accounted for all five touchdowns in the game, but that concerns me a little bit. The past couple of games, Schmitt has been the offense for the Russets: where is the supporting cast? Who would take over the scoring burden if Schmitt were to go down? You never want any player to go down, but you always want to have a capable backup in place should it happen.

Rigby 19, Madison 7: The Trojans continue the dream season with a victory over their Upper Valley rivals. While the Bobcats were able to clamp down better on run defense than the past few weeks, the Rigby passing attack opened up to the tune of 247 yards from Hayden Livingston. The maroon and gold have a tough test this week against undefeated Idaho Falls: who would have thought that those two teams would be undefeated leading into this matchup? Madison comes prepared to play each week, but it looks like that preparation is more for the future years.

Twin Falls 40, Skyline 20: It’s unfortunate, but the Grizzlies seem to be regressing every week. Skyline turned the ball over seven – count it, SEVEN – times in a 20-point loss to Twin Falls. It’s pretty hard to win when you give your opponent seven extra possessions. Zak Bennett threw three interceptions. The team lost three fumbles and also had a Bruins onside kick attempt bounce off the hands of a Skyline player and go right back to Twin Falls. The Grizz had no answer for Bruins RB Jacob Johnson, who had 179 yards rushing on 30 carries for four touchdowns. What surprised me was the passing game of Twin Falls, something that is less heralded in their offense. Their quarterbacks, Kaleb Jones and Kordell Williams, combined for 243 yards passing and showed that they can complete the long ball if necessary. Skyline did have a nice drive right at the end of the half which was saved/started by a Bruins “roughing the kicker” penalty. But more consistency is needed if the Grizz want to extend their season: they play the Highland Rams this week and NEED a win.

Teton 17, Snake River 0: The Redskins shut down Snake River’s offense and kept them out of the end zone the entire night in Driggs. The Panthers just couldn’t stop the Teton run game from causing damage. Snake River also hurt their chances when they fumbled the ball into the hands of Teton’s Tristan Hansen, who rumbled 71 yards for the score. Both teams need to learn from this matchup: we could be seeing this one again come playoff time.

If there is a game that I did not cover that you would like to express your thoughts on, post about it in the comments section below!