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We have reached one of the most exciting weekends in Idaho High School Football - the State Semi-Finals! If last week's thrilling games are any indication, this week should be full of action-packed, intense tournament play. This year's state semifinals features three of the four teams who were here at this juncture from last season (Highland, Rocky Mountain, and Mountain View). All four teams have been in the Top 5 of the IdahoSports.com Poll and State Media Poll all season long. If you combine their records altogether, they have a 38-3 mark on the year. Here's a brief look at the two 5A semi-final games happening on Friday.
Madison Bobcats (10-1) vs. Mountain View Mavericks (10-0)
This game has the looks of an instant classic in the making. It's also a rematch of last year's state quarterfinals, a game that Mountain View won 27-19 at home. Of course, Mountain View went on to the state championship, where they fell to Highland 56-21. But, the Mavericks have improved greatly over their performance last year. Just how much? Look at these numbers:
2014: Averaged 34.5 ppg on offense, gave up 18.2 ppg on defense for a difference of 16.3 ppg overall.
2015: Averaging 53.5 ppg on offense, giving up 10.9 ppg on defense for a difference of 42.6 ppg overall.
Winning every game by nearly 43 points per game? An impressive stat for a team that is looking to reach the state championship in consecutive years for the first time in school history. The Mavericks average 7.9 yards per play - that's not per successful run or pass play - that's per play total (even the incomplete or unsuccessful ones). They haven't had a close game all year long. Their closest game was against Capital back on Sept. 11, a 47-25 win at home. The Mavs have blown through their schedule and everyone who has stood in their path.
Mountain View has very talented skill-position players, led by QB Tucker Rovig and RB Trey Bell. They are big on the offensive and defensive lines. They are an all-around solid football team in every aspect seemingly.
History has not been so kind to 5A District 3 teams on the road in recent years, however. Since 2011, those teams are 0-16 in playoff games outside of the Treasure Valley. For Mountain View, this is their first trip outside the Treasure Valley since the last time they came to Holt Arena in 2013 (a 37-17 loss to Highland in the state quarterfinals).
Madison understands the rigors of travel and how it can affect performance. The Bobcats have taken two long trips already this season, one to Skyview (a 44-20 win on Sept. 12) and last week to Coeur d'Alene (a 22-12 win). This week, however, the Bobcats will play a lot closer to home as Holt Arena is just 78 miles SW of Rexburg.
The Bobcats enter this game looking to reach the state championship for the first time since 2012, when they won it all over Coeur d'Alene. Madison was a blocked field goal away from being perfect on the season - that happened in their 23-22 loss to Highland on Sept. 18. Despite the fact that Mountain View has the gaudier numbers, Madison isn't a team that should be taken lightly either - they are very strong in their own right:
2014: Averaged 28.9 ppg on offense, gave up 22.4 ppg on defense for a difference of 6.5 ppg overall.
2015: Averaging 36.8 ppg on offense, giving up 12.1 ppg on defense for a difference of 24.7 ppg overall.
Their numbers from this year reflect the numbers they had back in 2012 when the Bobcats won the 5A State Title. And they have the playmakers to go toe-to-toe with the Mavericks, including QB Konner Stoneberg, RB Connor Wills, and receivers Josh Crane and Zach Anderson. The offensive and defensive lines are a little less 'beefy' size-wise than Mountain View's, but that doesn't mean that they aren't feisty. The Bobcats make opponents scratch and claw for every last yard.
A big factor for Madison in this one is turnovers - the same key factor that derailed their season last year at Mountain View. In last year's game, the Bobcats had seven turnovers including five interceptions despite only falling by eight points. Madison can ill-afford those turnover numbers again in the rematch this season.
The Dome will be rocking on Friday night for this electric matchup of two fantasticly talented and well-coached teams. The fans will be out in full force - which team will rise to the challenge and earn a spot in the state title game?
Rocky Mountain Grizzlies (9-1) vs. Highland Rams (9-1)
There are a lot of storylines in this game.
It's the defending 5A state champion vs. the preseason No. 1 ranked team. "Old reliable" vs. the "new kids on the block". Stout run defense vs. excellent running game.
It's all of that and more for Rocky Mountain vs. Highland on Friday night. This is the third straight year that the Grizzlies and the Rams have squared off in the state semi-finals. The first two games were played at Holt Arena, both of which Highland won. This year, however, Rocky Mountain will be hosting the game instead of traveling to Pocatello to Holt Arena.
Does that change the game? Maybe - but not as much as most would tend to think. While Highland does play most of their games inside the comfy confines of Holt Arena, it's not like they haven't succeeded in outdoor conditions. In fact, Highland has not lost a game outdoors since Nov. 11, 2011, when the Rams fell 42-21 at Eagle in the state semi-finals.
For the Rams, it's been an interesting year despite their 9-1 record. They opened up the year with a solid win over a good American Fork, Utah team before blowing out Pocatello and Century and edging Madison 23-22 on Sept. 18. Then, the questions began to arise about their offense, which averaged more than 42 points per game last season. Highland fell hard in their next game, a 27-3 loss at home to Coeur d'Alene. Two games later, head coach Gino Mariani moved starting QB Connor Harding back to wide receiver (where he played previously) and moved in junior Payton McCarthy under center. While the Rams have collected three straight wins since that decision prior to the Hillcrest game on Oct. 16, that's less time for McCarthy to gel and mesh with the starting unit than most quarterbacks have had at this point in the season. He seems to have handled it well though, as he doesn't really look like a new starter.
Highland's defense, however, has been solid all year long. They've given up an average of 14 points per game this season and caused opposing quarterbacks to have nightmares, especially with regards to the Rams front four. While Highland has not been as dominant overall as we've seen in recent years, they are still Highland - a well-coached, tough out for any team.
Rocky Mountain, meanwhile, is having another stellar season and is looking to upset the defending champions. They were the preseason No. 1 ranked team that fell from that spot in the second week and never seemingly recovered from it. That loss, of course, was to Mountain View in a game where the Grizzlies just couldn't hang on to the football as they continued to give the Mavericks extra opportunities to score - which they did. The Grizzlies have sat in the No. 4-5 range in the IdahoSports.com Poll and State Media Poll all season long and in my mind, they may be overlooked in that regard - the Grizz are a very good football team.
That starts on offense where the Grizzlies are run-heavy, but very successful. All-Idaho RB Jake Roper is leading the way, including churning up 244 yards on the ground by himself last week against Lewiston. He has help too as QB Christian Blaser gets his fair share of yardage along with Spencer Mitchell and Carter Kuehl. Rocky's big offensive line helps create gaping holes for the rushing attack to succeed. Indeed, the Grizzlies lean on their run game - they'll run on every down if you allow them to do so.
That's where the Highland run defense vs. Rocky Mountain run offense becomes so intriguing. Which side will give first? This will be fun to watch on Friday night.
The Grizzlies don't tend to pass the ball much (Blaser threw only eight passes last week, completing five of them), and it will be interesting to see if they mix in more of the passing game this week against Highland. They certainly have playmakers on the outside, including Cal Criner.
Defensively, Rocky Mountain is solid too. The Grizzlies have given up 14 points or less in six of their 10 games and have been tough to score on overall. Their defensive backs will sure get a workout on Friday night as Highland throws the football normally between 30-35 times per game.
Overall, just like the Mountain View/Madison game, I fully expect this one to come right down to the wire. Rocky Mountain has made it to the state playoffs in seven years out of the eight that the school has existed - but they've never made it to the state championship. Does that change this season with a win over the Rams? Or will Highland add another state championship game appearance to their already impressive history, which includes 21 straight trips to the playoffs?
It's going to be a battle Friday night.
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