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Here are the top performers from Week 8 of the regular season.

1. Teague Matthews, Rockland
Wondering why you haven't heard about the receiving exploits of the 6-foot-5 junior who has caught the eye of Division 1 programs?  Simple.  He has moved to quarterback.  And Friday, when the Bulldogs needed their star to shine, he completed 15 of 18 passes for 414 yards and six scores, ran five times for 102 yards and three more scores, had five tackles on defense, and recovered a fumble in a game Rockland (3-4 overall, 1-0 Rocky Mountain) needed to win.  It did, besting Watersprings to give the Bulldogs the most direct path to win the 1A Division 2 Rocky Mountain Conference.

2. Blayne Meyer, Horseshoe Bend
It's a second example of a team needing its star to shine and Meyer definitely did.  The senior ran for 255 yards and three scores and added another 145 yards and a score receiving as the Mustangs topped Tri-Valley.  The 400 total yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns put Horseshoe Bend (4-3, 3-2 Long Pin) into a win-and-you're-in scenario next week when it hosts Meadows Valley.  Council (6-2, 4-0 Long Pin) and Garden Valley (6-1, 3-1 Long Pin) have secure the top two automatic spots into the 1A Division 2 playoffs out of the conference with Horseshoe Bend in position to grab the third and final spot.

3. Tyrus Swift, Salmon River
Salmon River isn't going to qualify for the postseason this year but Swift starred as the Savages (1-6 overall, 1-3 Long Pin) picked up its first win of the season by topping Meadows Valley on Friday.  The senior rushed for 176 yards and two scores while adding 163 yards and three scores receiving as he easily moved past 1,000 yards from scrimmage for the season while leading his team in touchdowns, tackles and interceptions.

Honorable Mention
Cory Gamett, Butte County
Conner Simpson, Carey
Jayme Ramos, Castleford
Bass Myers, Clearwater Valley
Ivan Perez, Clark County
Mason Roberts, Council
TJ Beyer, Deary
Cody Power, Dietrich
Trevor Corn, Garden Valley
Angus Jordan, Genesee
Ky Kendall, Hagerman
Brody Backus, Idaho City
Colton Ocain, Kamiah
Nathan Tweit, Kendrick
Riley Ausman, Kootenai
Jarius Moffitt, Lakeside
Gage Crow, Lewis County
Jack DeJong, Lighthouse Christian
Koby Rivas, Meadows Valley
Chandler Jones, Murtaugh
Rusty Hatch, North Gem
Tristan Aspiazu, Notus
Kyler Robinson, Oakley
Colton McElroy, Prairie
Daniel Rocha, Shoshone
Isaac Rodriguez, Wilder

MR. EVERYWHERE MAN

In one of the marquee matchups in 8-man football last week, 1AD1's fourth-ranked Butte County Pirates (5-1, 1-0 High Desert) topped second-ranked Raft River (5-2, 4-1 Snake River) 38-14. 

When asked about the contest, Butte County head coach Sam Thorngren praised junior Brody Westergard, saying, "he was everywhere." 

He certainly was - 11 tackles and an interception on defense, returned punts and punted on special teams, rain in a pair of two-point conversions, and threw for another conversion.  Performances like that, which don't always show up in a stat sheet, help teams win big games.

ADDING A WEAPON?

The Oakley Hornets are good.  The top-ranked squad defeated Valley on Friday to move to 6-1 on the season, including 5-0 in Snake River Conference play.  Want to know something a little scary for other teams in the 1A Division 1 classification?  The Hornets had done it all without star junior Bry Severe, a second-team All-State selection on offense and defense last season as a sophomore.  Severe didn't play in the first six games of his junior campaign while rehabbing an injury.  However, he did play on Friday, going 74 yards for a score on his first carry. 

Oakley boasts a roster that already features Ethan Toribau, Porter Pickett, Houston Bingham, KeShawn Crocker, Isaac Cranney, Porter Wells and Bridger Duncan, among others.  If Severe is healthy and ready to go, head coach Brennan Jones' group gets even more loaded than it already was.

REMAINING RACES

There doesn't appear to be a ton of drama remaining in the 1A Division 1 playoff races after last week's action.

The bracket includes nine automatic qualifiers:

Kamiah, Clearwater Valley and Lapwai look to have the three automatic berths from District 2.

Notus pretty much has one of the two from District 3 with Idaho City appearing to be in great shape after its head-to-head win over Rimrock.

The winner of Butte County vs. Grace will get the automatic berth from District 5-6, while the loser is comfortably in position for one of the three at-large berths.

And Oakley, Carey and Raft River appear to have sewed up automatic berths from District 4.

The other two at-large berths appear certain to go to Murtaugh and Lighthouse Christian, each of whose rating is well in front of Potlatch, Prairie and Logos, the three teams behind them.

In Division 2, for the most part, the teams are almost set.  One race that remains very hot is the Rocky Mountain Conference from District 5-6.  Rockland is 1-0 in conference play, Watersprings is 1-1, and North Gem is 0-1.  If North Gem tops Rockland on Friday, the three teams will each be 1-1 and we'll venture into tie-breaker territory.  If Rockland wins, the Bulldogs will be seed 5-6A while Watersprings will be seed 5-6B.

Two other games are win-and-you're in: Camas County at Hansen, with the winner earning seed 4C, and Timberline at Lewis County, where the winner earns seed 2B.

Mullan/St. Regis and Clark Fork (District 1), Kendrick (District 2), Council and Garden Valley (District 3), and Dietrich and Castleford (District 4) have all clinched playoff berths, though in some instances, exact seeds are still to be determined.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments!