If you just looked at the final score, you'd have no idea about the wild ebbs and flows of Friday night's 5A SIC non-division matchup between Mountain View and Centennial (heard live here on IdahoSports.com and available in the archives).
Centennial 56, Mountain View 42. Man, those Mavericks and Patriots just skipped the defense altogether, huh?
The answer is yes, in stretches. It's what happened in the other stretches that makes this outcome potentially pivotal in the 5A SIC race.
For 5A fans from District I, V, and VI who didn't know, the 5A SIC in District III is split into two divisions so, even though the two teams are separated by just a few miles, it goes down as a non-league game. So it isn't pivotal in that regard. How it is pivotal is in what we saw at Mountain View on Friday night.
1) Centennial is capable of playing near-perfect football. Aside from one well-executed cutback by explosive Maverick running back Michael Ho-Lewis, this game was as lopsided as lopsided can be in the first half. Kickoff returns, interception returns, well-thrown passes, good push up front by the offensive line, control of the passing lanes by the defense ... the Patriots did it all in building a 42-7 lead by the midway point of the second quarter. That's right - a 35-point lead with 6:14 to go in the first half. They have big wide receivers, a quarterback who can deliver a nice ball, a big offensive line, and a solid running back in Mike Kirby. Is there a defense left on the Patriots' schedule that can take all those weapons away? I don't know anything about Highland (September 24) yet, but perhaps Rocky Mountain (October 8) can. That leads me to point number two ...
2) If early indicators are to be trusted, the Patriots will need to score a lot. Look, young and inexperienced or not, there simply isn't a good explanation as to why a team would find themselves in a fourth-quarter dogfight after holding a 35-point lead in the first half. Centennial gave up huge chunks of yardage in the second half to Ho-Lewis and the Patriot secondary was vulnerable all night down the seams. That makes two weeks in a row that the Centennial defense has been gashed through the air in the second half. Head coach Lee Neumann tried to shuffle some things from week one to week two, but it looks like there's more work to be done.
3) Mountain View may not be deep and they may be young, but they're fighters. Okay, let's hear it from the peanut gallery. You're down 42-14 at halftime and have been absolutely dominated in the first half. What do you say to your team to keep them in the game? Whatever Judd Benedick said, it worked as the Mavericks, who trailed by five touchdowns midway through the second quarter, twice got to within a touchdown in the fourth quarter. It's the second week in a row that Mountain View has dug a deep hole early (fell behind 20-6 in the first half at Lake City in the opener), but this time it was just a little too deep. The Mavericks have some playmakers beyond Ho-Lewis (quarterback Kai Turner, receiver Zach Cooper, defensive end Austin Brown, linebacker Neil Bucher) and, if they can figure out how to stay away from double-digit deficits right out of the chutes, they could be hard to handle.
Now ... how those things matter. With Eagle's loss on Friday to Rocky Mountain (and the loss of quarterback Tanner Mangum to an injury), the Grizzlies have the looks of the top team in the easier of the two divisions. That would leave the Patriots - if they can defeat Boise on October 1 - with a critical two-week stretch on October 8 (home vs. Rocky Mountain) and October 15 (home vs. Vallivue). If Centennial can plug the holes in the secondary, that's a golden opportunity ... both games are at home ... to take care of business and take the number one spot in the division into the district playoffs on October 29. Or they can falter, drop to the third seed (or lower), and face an uphill postseason battle.
Meanwhile, Mountain View has to contend with Eagle and Capital in Division I of the SIC. Fabulous comeback(s) aside, the Mavericks have some work to do themselves to avoid the same fate as Centennial. And, like the Patriots, they'll get both teams on the home playing surface. Freshman quarterback Kai Turner has shown flashes - he throws a very nice ball for a ninth-grader - but is also prone to locking onto his primary read and forcing some throws. You can get away with it against the soft zones of a defense protecting a 35-point lead. You probably won't in the fourth quarter of a tie game with the playoffs on the line. Oh yes, Turner will progress and get better. Of that I am certain. And he might have the conference's most dynamic playmaker (at least healthy playmaker) in Ho-Lewis in the huddle with him.
With Rocky Mountain (Division II) and Capital (Division I) looking strong early, both Mountain View and Centennial need to get better on defense - in a hurry - if they want to be serious factors come playoff time. If you're Centennial, you can't rely on scoring 45 points a night to escape with wins. And if you're Mountain View, you've got to find a way to come out ready from the opening kick. You can't hope to overcome massive deficits each week.
Each face interesting tests next week. Mountain View goes to Rocky Mountain in another non-division game while Centennial travels to Meridian.
|