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Three weeks of the regular season remain. That's incredibly hard to believe, since we just started what seems like a few weeks ago.
Well, now it's crunch time for teams all around the state. This is now the part of the season where dreams of deep runs in the state playoffs are made or dashed.
Here are some thoughts on Week Five games involving East Idaho teams.
Highland 61, Idaho Falls 14
This game was never close... and some may say never competitive. Highland had their way with I.F. from start to finish, thanks to the Garret Christensen show (4 TD's). The Tigers need to find a solid starter at QB. Hope is fading for I.F.'s season.
Hillcrest 21, Skyline 14
The Knights snag the inside track to a playoff berth with a win over the Grizz. It was a heated matchup all around. The blueprint to slow down Hillcrest's Morgan Pyper was found by Skyline, although the Knights got the last laugh. The matchup vs. Madison for both Skyline and Hillcrest will be the deciding factor in which of those three schools make the playoffs.
Madison 34, Rigby 15
What a second half for Madison! In the 3rd quarter alone, Konnor Stoneberg hit the scoresheet four times (3 pass TD's, 1 rush TD) to firmly control the Upper Valley Rivalry. I'm not sure what has happened to Rigby's defense, but whatever it is, they need to get it fixed... and quick.
Blackfoot 42, Bonneville 6
A rough senior night for the Bees. On the Broncos' first play of the game, WR Matt Peterson (fighting through a broken thumb) caught an 80-yd TD pass. Blackfoot was able to have a faster offensive start here as opposed to previous games this year. They will need that as the playoffs come around.
Century 34, Pocatello 31
I certainly thought Pocatello had all the momentum heading into this game after collecting a big win at Preston in Willie Joe Walker's debut as head coach. But Century stepped up and threw a big snag in Poky's plans and in the 4A District 5-6 playoff race. The Diamondbacks also scored more points in this game than they have all season long.
Minico 23, Preston 20
No one on Preston's defense could slow down Danny Freiburger, who had 232 yards rushing on 30 attempts with 3 TD's. But, even with that performance, the game was tied with 3 seconds left before Tanner Harper kicked the game-winning 20-yd FG. The Indians have gone cold in their last two games. Could it spell doom on their playoff hopes?
Snake River 19, Shelley 0
A 2-game losing streak for the Russets? That hasn't happened since 2011. But Snake River took it to Shelley from the start. The defense played extremely well, even accounting for more points than their offense did, thanks to a 35-yd INT return for TD and a safety. While both offenses moved the ball well at times, once inside the red zone they both struggled.
Sugar-Salem 34, Jerome 12
The Diggers ran all-over the Tigers in this. Sophomore Camry Ingram rushed for 129 yds on 13 carries for 2 TD's. That's nearly 10 yards per carry. RB Jared Purser was back in the lineup, gaining 101 yards on 13 attempts. Diggers head coach Tyler Richins told the Post Register that his team won the game because of their offensive line.
North Fremont 34, Teton 19
Huskies RB Tanner Oberhansley had quite the game, rushing for 252 yards and 2 TD's. Overall, North Fremont had 419 yards rushing in the game. After a slow start to the season, the Huskies are rounding into form. Teton is REALLY struggling. Their last chance to make the playoffs is this week at Sugar-Salem. No victory = no playoffs.
South Fremont 56, Marsh Valley 28
The Cougars are off to their best start since 2011. They've now won 5 games in a row. South Fremont led 28-6 after the 1st quarter and 49-12 at halftime. QB Junior Gonzalez has been patient in the offense, which has led to success on the scoreboard. Meanwhile, Marsh Valley's losing streak has now hit 20 games. Their best (and maybe only remaining chance) to break that streak will be in two weeks vs. American Falls.
Firth 35, Salmon 14
The Savages led at halftime 7-6. The Cougars rattled off 21 points in the fourth quarter, capitalizing on Salmon mistakes. While the Savages beat up on the Firth front lines, they couldn't slow down RB Jackson Thompson, who had 233 yards on 15 carries with two touchdowns. Thompson also caught three passes for 52 yards.
West Jefferson 42, Ririe 7
Two Panthers had 175+ yards of rushing. Four players had 50+ yards. You have to have a good line to succeed at stopping the double-wing offense. Ririe's line has struggled and West Jefferson's dominated the game.
Malad 33, Soda Springs 0
Dragons' head coach Coda Tchida told me at the beginning of the year that if his team's defense didn't improve dramatically, his team would not reach the playoffs again this year. Well, that team just held Soda Springs to 114 yards of total offense. This looks like a different Malad squad this year... one that will make the playoffs.
West Side 38, Bear Lake 0
The Pirates held Bear Lake to 94 total yards of offense, including only 3 yards passing on 10 attempts. That pretty much sums up the dominance of the West Side defense. The Pirates matchup with Aberdeen on Oct. 17 will be HUGE (and most likely for the conference championship).
Butte County 41, Grace 6
The Arco version of the Pirates have firmly taken control of the 1AD1 District 5-6 Conference race, despite losing a few key players. RB Jeremie Hjelm had another big night, rushing 26 times for 232 yards and 4 TD's. Now we will see what adjustments are made by both sides as they square off in a second conference matchup on Oct. 24. Grace will need to find a way to slow down the Butte County rushing attack, something that no team has done this year.
Oakley 64, Challis 0
The Hornets scored 42 points in the second quarter. Forty-two. That's more than some teams have scored all SEASON. Challis head coach Josh Franks told to Post Register that his team was missing five starters for this game. That's rough.
Teams with a Bye: American Falls, Aberdeen, Mackay, Watersprings Christian, North Gem, Rockland, Clark County
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