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Zero Week has come and gone and left us with some questions to be answered about teams that have graced the field already. While not everyone had a game during Zero Week, we will know a lot more about these teams after Week One play is complete.
If you're unfamiliar with the 'Hurricane Harris Hot 5', it's a segment that I do from time to time on my Saturday morning sports show in East Idaho (you can listen to it Saturday mornings at 9 a.m. on NewsTalk 97.7 FM, 690 AM, or online at eastidahonews.com). In this edition, I'll list the five games in East Idaho that I feel could really show us the path that some teams are travelling on this year.
1. Skyline at Blackfoot: The Grizzlies hung tough with defending 5A state champion Coeur d'Alene last week, heading into the 4th quarter tied up at 13. Skyline didn't help their case for the upset with three turnovers compared to none for the Vikings. The Grizzlies defense kept Coeur d'Alene off the scoreboard for the most part until the late stages of the game, despite giving up 416 yards of offense. The question for Grizzlies: Will that defensive effort continue this week against Blackfoot? The Broncos started off the year with a 20-14 win over Hillcrest. Sophomore QB Pacen Hayes picked up where he left off last year, throwing for 291 yards, 3 TD's, and no picks. The rushing attack was stifled however, gaining only 65 yards on 20 attempts. In the past, the Broncos have been fairly balanced on offense, but in talking to those who attended the game on Friday, the Broncos run game struggled. The question for Blackfoot: does the run game rebound or do we see a second straight week of struggles rushing the football?
2. Highland at Pocatello
The famed 'Black n' Blue Bowl' at Holt Arena is being played at one of its earliest times ever. The Indians come in fresh off of a two touchdown victory against Twin Falls, where they showcased a bit of their new tweaks to their offense. But can Pocatello sustain those tweaks in the offense throughout the season, in terms of success? There is still a lot of running in the Indians offense, an aspect Highland had relative success with last week against Orem, UT. Meanwhile for the Rams, their 42-36 victory over Orem, brought questions as well: just how good is the secondary minus All-State DB Greg Gwinn? Can the special teams errors from a week ago be fixed in short order? The offense certainly played well, including a late TD drive led by QB Dakota Tillotson. With these questions lingering for Highland, there's no better time to answer them than against their arch-rival.
3. West Jefferson at South Fremont
The Panthers hadn't won in almost three years until last week's 38-0 shutout of Soda Springs. Completely new schemes along with a new coaching staff led by former Marsh Valley lead man Jason Taylor plus a new attitude have caused spirits to be raised in Terreton. Former Aberdeen head coach Cory Hollingsworth leads the defense for West Jefferson, which surprised a lot of folks in the 2A ranks with their dominating performance. A simple question for the Panthers: can this trend continue into Week One against South Fremont? The Cougars themselves are coming off of a big loss at Snake River, getting blown out 56-12. For Chad Hill's squad, while Snake River may be one of the top teams in 3A, getting blown out by that margin certainly isn't a wanted sign of progress. After giving up 200 yards rushing against Snake River, can the defense make progress in stopping the run against West Jefferson's almost run-always double wing offense?
4. Bonneville at Madison
The Bees opened up the season a week earlier than everyone else against Colorado powerhouse Valor Christian. Bonneville was shown which areas they need work in after a 61-20 loss. It came down to secondary play and tackling in my eyes: Valor Christian threw over top of Bonneville frequently and also broke through two, three, and four would-be tacklers just as often. Can Bonneville correct those mistakes heading into their first 5A High Country Conference matchup against Madison? The Bobcats return home after a 35-21 loss against last year's state semi-finalist Capital. In talking with Bobcats radio play-by-play man Tim Lewis, he said that the score was not indicative of how well Madison played. If it weren't for miscues with turnovers at crucial moments, this game might have been closer. Can Madison hang on to the football this week? Games more often than not are decided by turnovers.
5. Firth at Soda Springs
The Cougars fell in a highly anticipated matchup against West Side last week 14-8. It was a relatively sloppy game, with 10 turnovers combined between the two sides. Outside of that, the passing game showed potential, but was rather raw. The rushing attack didn't have much more success, gaining only 90 yards. Both aspects of the offense will need to find their individual strides in Week One. Can the offense step up this week against Soda Springs? The Cardinals were dealt a crushing 38-0 loss against West Jefferson last week, leaving head coach Brent Erickson with his own offensive questions. Couple that with West Jefferson's ability to run the football on Soda Springs, can the Cardinals win the battle at the line of scrimmage and stuff the run before the play develops? Many questions will be answered about Firth and Soda Springs after this week.
Check back to the Friday Night Flash for updated scores as we receive them from around the state!
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