Published: 11/13/2014 2:27:18 AM

It's a rematch of SRV conference opponents in this state semi-final. These two teams squared off in Emmett just less than a month ago, with the Huskies on the winning end of a 35-17 final. 

Fruitland had the privilege of making the trek north to Spirit Lake to take on the Timberlake White Tigers. After falling behind 28-7, the Grizzlies scored 35 unanswered points to take the victory and move on to the next round, 42-27. But it wasn't a traditional Fruitland-style of win. The Grizzlies LOVE to run the football: the power run game has been a staple at Fruitland for some time. Against the Tigers however, it was the aerial attack that brought them back and then carried them into the win column. While the initial numbers for QB Jerrod Seamons don't seem to be stellar (9-of-19 passing), the ones that come after completions and attempts are VERY GOOD: 304 yards passing and FIVE touchdowns. It's a side of Fruitland that we haven't seen all that often, but it's one that can wreak havoc when necessary. The Grizzlies normally proficient running game was limited to just under 120 yards on the ground. That's where the orange and black made a significant adjustment however. Their running backs became potent receivers, including Casey Rodriguez (3 receptions, 86 yards, 2 TD's) and Kennon Smith (3 receptions, 118 yards, 2 TD's). Having the ability to adjust your strategy mid-game with the same personnel with little to no drop off is a HUGE asset to have on your team. The defense stepped up as well, holding Timberlake to zero points in the second half while picking off four White Tiger passes. 

Emmett came into last weekend's quarterfinal game with conference-foe Homedale fresh off of a first round bye, the only team in 3A to receive one. The first quarter was fairly evenly matched, as both sides traded touchdowns to end the quarter tied at 6. But that's where Emmett began to take control. The Huskies didn't allow a single point the rest of the way as they beat Homedale for the second time this season, 27-6. The Huskies gave the Trojans a large dose of Collin McGinley (111 yards rushing on only 7 attempts, 3 TD's), Yancy Hyde (53 yards rushing on 8 attempts), and Kayden Payne (45 yards rushing on 4 attempts). Saige Wilkerson finished the night 9-of-18 passing for 95 yards and a touchdown. While a win is a win, Homedale has given problems to the Huskies this season. Emmett's closest win was against Homedale this year, while the Huskies blew out the other teams in the SRV. 

Fruitland finds themselves in a similar position compared to last season: a rematch in the state semi-finals with a team that beat them during the regular season. Last year it was Homedale, this year it's Emmett. In the first matchup, the Huskies used a balanced attack that saw five different players score touchdowns en route to a 35-14 win. Not one player had more than 140 yards in the game, with seven players recording at least 30 yards of offense. Fruitland's run game was slowed and their passing attack mustered only 65 yards on three completions. But this time of year is when Fruitland starts to peak. After all, they have been eight straight state championship games. Is a ninth one within their grasp? Will Ryan Tracy work more late season magic to help his Grizzlies to the Milk Bowl? Or is this Huskies squad, led by Mike Schroeder, poised to end Fruitland's run and show the SRV that while they may be the new kids on the block, they are more than ready to take the championship reigns of the SRV?

It's going to be cold and potentially very wet on Saturday night in Emmett. Will the conditions play a factor? That's not known yet... but one thing we do know is that the kids will be fired up.

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Just title this match 'The Sequel'. These two long-time rivals are meeting up in the state semi-finals for the first time since 2005 (a 29-18 Shelley win). There is no love lost between the two squads: in a few words, each has mutual disdain for the other. 

Ever since Snake River's 19-0 win at home on Oct. 3 (which also gave Shelley their first two-game losing streak since 2011), it seems as if the proverbial heat between the two sides has been rising with each passing week, knowing that a matchup in the state playoffs was becoming more likely. With Snake River eliminating South Fremont and Shelley beating #1 Gooding last week, the matchup a lot of East Idaho fans have been waiting for is now here. The question is: Will we see the same Shelley team that we saw on Oct. 3? The one that couldn't find the end zone and had a tough time moving the football? Or the Russet squad that hammered Buhl and knocked off top-ranked Gooding?

In their last outing, Shelley saved their biggest plays for when they needed them the most. Bryon Leckington found Tyler Bean twice for touchdown passes, including the go-ahead score with 3:03 left in the 4th quarter, after driving nearly the length of the field in less than two minutes. Gooding wasn't done yet as they came back with a drive of their own to the Shelley 19-yard line. But two big sacks from the Russet defense leading to one final forced incompletion allowed Shelley to keep their dream of a 3-peat alive. 

Snake River took on an upstart South Fremont squad for the second time this season at Harrison Field. Their first matchup, which happened to be the first game of the season, was a 56-12 beatdown laid by Snake River. It was more of the same this time around, although the Cougars certainly gave the Panthers a lot more fight than in the first go-round. RB Wyatt Vogler went OFF on South Fremont, racking up 274 yards rushing on just 19 carries while running in four touchdowns. Luke Albertson gained 93 yards on the ground while Payden Dalley and Sean Miller each had 44 yards. Needless to say, the run game was clicking well on a day where the wind caused problems in the passing game.

With the momentum the two sides have entering the state semi-finals, we need to look back to how the first match shook out. In a word: Defense. Snake River's defense shut out a Shelley team that doesn't allow many shut outs from an offensive standpoint. The Panthers were quick to the ball, solid on their tackles, and efficient all around in limiting the drives of the Russet offense. LB Damon Dance set the tone almost immediately when, three plays into the game, he picked off a Bryon Leckington pass and took it to the house for six points. The defense also collected a safety en route to outscoring their own offense. Even with Snake River posting the shutout, it's not like Shelley's defense played poorly either. The Russets held their own and limited Snake River to one offensive touchdown (a 1-yard TD plunge by QB Sean Miller) in game that was mainly played between the 20-yard lines. Special teams execution made a big difference in the game as well: Snake River converted their extra-point attempts, kicked a 33-yd field goal, and did well in punt and kick coverage. Shelley's special teams weren't as sharp, including short-yardage punts and a few miscues in tackling.

I don't think we will see a shutout on Friday night. I do think that whoever is in attendance will be treated to a thrilling, action-packed, tense, hard-hitting game from two sides who desperately want the same thing: the return to glory. Snake River hasn't tasted victory in the championship game since their win over Fruitland in 2011. Shelley wants to prove the doubters wrong and return to the championship game for another crack at the title.

Only one side will take that next step to realizing their dream. Will Shelley get redemption? Or will Snake River mash the Russets for a second time? Friday night awaits.

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It's more a staple than anything to see the West Side Pirates in the state semi-finals. After all, this is their 5th straight appearance at this juncture of the playoffs. As the only unbeaten team left in the 2A state tournament, all eyes are squarely on the Pirates. 

Their matchup with Grangeville is the first since 2011, when Grangeville made the long trek southward to Holt Arena and defeated the Pirates 33-13 en route to their first state championship in school history. This year, it's West Side making the long trek northward to the Kibbie Dome in Moscow. Both years, the bottom team on the bracket hosted because of travel rules (which you can read more about HERE). And, just like the 2011 matchup, both teams are loaded with talent and are poised to make a run to the state championship game.

It was the 'Battle of the West' last Thursday when West Side took on West Jefferson at Holt Arena in what turned out to be one of the fastest games I've seen this season in terms of total time. I guess that will happen when your opponent can chew 8-9 minutes off the clock regularly with the double-wing offense. That's exactly what West Jefferson did as they held onto the football twice as long as West Side did. The difference? The Pirates multi-faceted offense was just too much for the Panthers throughout the duration of the game. In the first half, it was all Jantz Ebanez who piled up 154 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. When West Jefferson made an adjustment in their run defense at halftime, West Side countered by opening up the passing game for Peyton Brown. He responded by going 7-for-7 with 114 passing yards and three touchdowns in the second half. Not a bad stat at all for a team that's been known for years for their power run game.

Grangeville made a trip of their own this past week, travelling down Highway 95 through Boise, on I-84 over to Pocatello, then up I-15 and Highway 20 to Ashton to take on the Nuclear Conference champion North Fremont Huskies. Early on, the Huskies maintained the pace of the game and imposed their will on the Bulldogs. Through three quarters of play, North Fremont executed well on offense and played solid defense (especially in the secondary), as they began the fourth quarter with a 28-14 lead.

That's when everything began to unravel.

It was a combination of seizing the opportunity for Grangeville and melting down at the worst possible time for North Fremont. The Huskies, who suited up just over 20 players for the game, ran into some injury issues to key lineman. Then, North Fremont caught a serious case of fumble-itis as they dropped the ball EIGHT separate times in the quarter, with five of them being recovered by Grangeville. After all five turnovers, the Bulldogs scored every time. What was a 28-14 deficit turned into a 49-28 rout in a rather quick and astonishing manner. After being bottled up for three quarters, Grangeville's Jake Kaschmitter and Michael Wilson combined for the final five touchdowns in that decisive fourth quarter, running amok through a North Fremont defense that pretty much just looked like they ran out of gas. Grangeville couldn't have played any better in the quarter, while North Fremont arguably played their worst quarter of football all year long. I have never seen a meltdown and reversal of momentum quite like that in high school football before... and most certainly not to the tune of a 35-point swing. 

It's all about the matchups in this state semi-final. Both sides have incredibly talented and gifted athletes. Both sides have stingy defenses and more offensive weapons than they know what to do with. But how do they match-up against the person staring at them across the line? What will be the tipping point in this game? Something to watch for: special teams. Extra point attempts will be HUGE. This should be a slobberknocker of a game at the Kibbie Dome on Friday.

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Some people wrote off the Aberdeen Tigers after Oct. 17. They had just lost to Bear Lake and West Side in consecutive weeks after beginning the year 5-0. The Tigers made sure they could have a shot the playoffs by beating Soda Springs handily in the final game of the regular season. That set up a 3-way Kansas City Playoff between the Tigers, Malad, and Bear Lake. In the end, Aberdeen redeemed their earlier loss to Bear Lake by winning the Kansas City Playoff and setting themselves up for a TOUGH run in the playoffs.

Aberdeen defeated postseason regular Firth 25-12 in the first round. That win set up a date with #1 ranked Declo, a team that had not really had a close game all year long. Aberdeen controlled the clock thoroughly and did not allow Declo to find a groove. The Tigers didn't even complete one single pass in the game. In a completely balanced team effort, the Tigers outlasted the two-time defending 2A state champions and propelled themselves into the title conversation. Can they repeat their performance against Declo on the turf at Holt?

One thing we know about Orofino is how consistent they are. In the state playoffs thus far, they have given up six points to their opponents (Melba and St. Maries), while scoring 23 and 25 points each time. The Maniacs do things at their own rate: they can run or pass and want you to stay on defense as long as possible. QB Drake Kuykendall was the key for Orofino in their 23-6 win last week, as he had a hand in all three Maniacs touchdowns (2 rushing, 1 passing). Orofino will need to lean on Kuykendall and that big offensive line for their success on offense. Aberdeen can score in bunches... meaning the Maniacs need to be careful.

With a state championship berth on the line, I have a feeling that it won't be hard to fire up these boys on both sides for the game. The winner moves on, the loser goes home. This ought to be a great game at Holt Arena on Saturday.