|
|
Written by: Matt Harris
Follow Matt on Twitter: @IdahoSportsMatt
The regular season is just coming to a close... only two weeks of football remain before we move on to football's 'second season'.
Some teams have clinched playoff berths, while others are still fighting to keep their season's alive.
It's going to be a fun month and half coming up.
Hillcrest 29, Bonneville 13
There were moments in the second half where you could sense that Bonneville was about to make a comeback. Hillcrest's Morgan Pyper put those to rest with an 80-yd punt return for TD and a 33-yd TD run later on in the 4th. Bonneville is officially eliminated from playoff contention.
Highland 38, Skyline 15
The Rams led this one 35-3 at halftime. Garret Christensen was a man on a mission for Highland, rushing 18 times for 119 yards and 3 TD's. The Grizzlies are still in playoff contention, but MUST win out to have a shot. Their game at Madison this week is the key cog.
Madison 36, Idaho Falls 14
The pass-happy Bobcats showed a much-less used side of their offense on Friday vs. the Tigers: the run game. Madison gained 301 yards on 47 rush attempts, compared to just 75 yards on 16 pass attempts. Idaho Falls is out of playoff contention, but they still have the Emotion Bowl left to be played. A win there could be a bright spot in an otherwise dismal season.
Rigby 41, Pocatello 30
The Trojans trailed at halftime. But RB Drew Zagula erased that deficit with three rush TD's in the 3rd quarter. Hayden Livingston completed 14-of-16 passes for 198 yards, one of his better outings this year. With their matchup vs. Blackfoot looming on Oct. 24, Rigby better not overlook Preston this week. Pocatello is still in the log-jam for the third and final playoff spot.
Blackfoot 40, Preston 21
The Broncos led 33-7 at halftime and put Preston away early. A lot of Preston's points came later on in the second half. Preston's not out of it yet... but they'll need to win out to extend their season.
Century 58, Burley 13
Yikes. The Diamondbacks in the first five games of the season scored a total of 34 points. Two weeks ago vs. Pocatello, they scored 34 points. This week, they blew the doors open. Century is in the playoff-race, despite their struggles. I'm not sure if this win was an indication of Century finally finding some cohesion on their team, or if it's more of Burley's struggles continuing... the Bobcats are 0-7.
Shelley 44, South Fremont 14
This was much more of a game than the score indicates. South Fremont LED 14-10 heading into the 4th quarter, before Shelley ran off 34 points en route to victory. Russet DB Braxton Smith had not one, but two Pick-6's against the Cougars in the 4th quarter, a rather rare feat. Despite the loss, South Fremont is in the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
Sugar-Salem 21, Teton 20
Teton was THAT CLOSE to the playoffs. After falling behind 21-7 at half, the Redskins fought back within one point with less than a minute left. But Teton's extra point kick failed, and Sugar-Salem held on. Sugar plays at Shelley this week: should the Russets win, Shelley will own the top seed in the conference, leaving the Diggers to battle with arch-rival South Fremont on Oct. 23 for second.
Snake River 53, American Falls 6
The Panthers continued their dominance, leading 34-0 at halftime over the Beavers. RB Collin Bingham rushed for 193 yards, while Sean Miller completed 12-of-19 passes for 342 yards. American Falls had a rough night overall. The run game was stifled and the passing game couldn't find a rhythm. They'll need to get it together for this week though: The Beavers play Marsh Valley in a winner-to-state game.
Declo 81, Marsh Valley 7
Things just keep getting worse for Marsh Valley. The two-time defending 2A champions pummeled Marsh Valley from the get-go. Declo hasn't had a close game since Zero Week, when they beat Sugar-Salem 26-23. Marsh Valley could be headed for another winless season.
Firth 39, West Jefferson 14
The Cougars solved their line issues in time to go up against West J's double-wing offense... and Firth came through in a big way. RB Jackson Thompson rushed 17 times for 154 yards and 3 TD's in the win. Head coach Keith Drake told the Post Register, "I think our line is getting better at picking up the blocks". With two weeks to go in the regular season, maybe Firth gets on the roll that everyone expected them to?
North Fremont 52, Ririe 21
How's this for a stat line? Huskies RB Michael Mower had 192 yards rushing and three touchdowns... on EIGHT carries, all of which came in the first half. North Fremont led 52-7 at halftime as they hammered the Bulldogs. North Fremont plays at Firth this week for top spot in the Nuclear Conference.
Bear Lake 20, Aberdeen 8
As my good friend Ryan Tew said, "The boys in Vegas would've lost money on that one". Aberdeen hadn't scores less than 26 points in any game this season, while giving up 22 points all season long. It was a defensive effort for Bear Lake, including a fumble recovery by Theron Wallentine, who added two rushing touchdowns. Bear Lake isn't out of it just yet... but they'll need some help along the way.
West Side 34, Malad 12
One more win for an undefeated regular season. The Pirates shut down the Malad passing game and really limited Derek Checketts effectiveness. The Pirates continue to share the ball all around, showing off their prowess on offense. West Side has already clinched a playoff berth, but can go for their 33rd district title in school history with a win vs. Aberdeen.
Butte County 65, Shoshone 6
It was the J-Z show on Friday night in Shoshone (not to be confused with Jay-Z, the rap artist). Jeremie Hjelm had six touchdowns while Zac Harrell had three TD's in the rout. Butte County is now 6-0 on the year and could be looking at an undefeated regular season with two games to go. Remember, the teams in their conference this year play each other twice. In the first two matchups with Grace and Challis, the Pirates outscored them 120-44.
Challis 64, Grace 6
The first game between these two was a 78-64 shootout in favor of Challis. This time around, the defense stood tall and limited Grace's offensive attack. Challis (along with this week's opponent, Butte County) have already clinched a playoff berth, making this week's game for seeding huge. Grace has been eliminated from the playoffs.
Mackay 34, Clark County 8
Jacob Green was all over the field for the Miners. He completed 12-of-15 passes for 137 yards and one touchdown, rushed 13 times for 73 yards and one touchdown, and also had 13 tackles. Not bad at all. Mackay takes on conference-leading Rockland this week. Clark County plays a must-win game vs. Watersprings at home.
North Gem 44, Watersprings 20
The Cowboys are finding their groove after starting the season slowly. It was 18-14 at halftime before a big third quarter blew the game wide open for North Gem. RB Tucker Lish had 3 rush TD's with 171 yards on 20 carries. The Cowboys have a bye this week, before a big game vs. Mackay on Oct. 24. Watersprings can ensure a playoff berth this week if they can knock off Clark County.
Rockland 39, Soda Springs JV 13
While the win moves Rockland to 5-1 on year, I don't know how much stock you can put into a win like this one. Soda Springs plays 11-man football and their JV team obviously doesn't practice 8-man all of the time. Regardless, Rockland gets the 'W'. The Bulldogs are at Mackay this week, followed by a home date with Clark County.
Teams with a BYE: Salmon, Malad, Soda Springs
|