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1. Owen Hatfield (Council)
In a crucial Long Pin rivalry matchup, the junior rushed for 400 yards and five scores in a win over Tri-Valley. He also passed for 108 yards and another score and contributed six tackles, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in the dramatic 50-46 victory that moved the Lumberjacks' record to 4-1 overall and tied for first in the Long Pin with a 2-0 conference mark.
2. Thomas Vargas (Valley)
The Standlee Trophy is staying in Hazelton for another year, due in large part to the 233 yards and four rushing touchdowns from Vargas, the team's running back. The junior is on a roll, haveing 640 yards and ten scores in the past three games for Valley (5-0 overall, 4-1 Snake River Conference).
3. Craig Yost (North Gem)
The Cowboys' junior fullback had a huge game when his team needed it, rushing for 249 yards and five scores and picking up 12 tackles on defense in a win over Watersprings. The win moves North Gem to 3-3 overall, 1-1 in Rocky Mountain Conference play, with the 1A playoffs within reach.
Honorable Mention
Levi Hendricks (Butte County)
Preston Wood (Carey)
Cole Olson (Cascade)
Gavin Kolb (Centennial Baptist)
Rigin Dixon (Challis)
Everett Montgomery (Clark Fork)
Tiago Pickering (Clearwater Valley)
Isaac Ward (Dietrich)
Trevor Corn (Garden Valley)
Josiah Valencia (Glenns Ferry)
Martin Gonzalez (Hagerman)
Benny Reichel (Hansen)
Isaac Manor (Idaho City)
Maddox Kirkland (Kendrick)
Trevor Knowlton (Lewis County)
Benny Guevara (Notus)
Jay Marshall (Potlatch)
Dylan Uhlenkott (Prairie)
Aidan Radford (Rockland)
Hadley Hunt (Shoshone)
Jace Waggoner (Tri-Valley)
Reece Williams (Wallace)
Ryan Demkowicz (Watersprings)
Shaun Flemming (Wilder)
Shhh-oshone
Quick show of hands - how many people predicted the Shoshone Indians would hit the home stretch with an inside track on a possible 1A playoff spot? Well, here we ware as head coach Mike Nunnelee's team continues to impress. The team toppled Richfield on Friday to improve to 4-1 overall, 3-0 in Sawtooth Conference play. The unblemished conference record leaves them in a virtual deadlock for the top spot in the Sawtooth with 1A powers Carey and Dietrich. The team's first win on September 6 snapped a 16-game losing streak and, according to Nunnelee, Shoshone hadn't won a full-fledged varsity game in almost eight years coming into the season. Another achievement: the team won its homecoming game this season for the first time in at least ten years. Matchups with Carey and Dietrich loom on the horizon, but the Indians are quietly making believers of a lot of 1A coaches in southern Idaho.
The Lonesome Kicker
Its not often that a player is spotlighted for his kicking in the 8-man game. Scan the honorable mentions list above and note the name Levi Hendricks of 2A Butte County. Pirates head coach Sam Thorngren, who has been doing this a long time, calls Hendricks the best kicker/punter in Idaho 8-man football (ask Carey fans about Hendricks' onside-kick abilities). In Friday's win over Challis, Hendricks was a perfect 5-for-5 on point-after-touchdown kicks - entire conferences won't make (or even attempt) five PAT kicks in a day - and also booted three of his five kickoffs for touchbacks.
Putting on a Show
Following Friday's dramatic football game between 1A Long Pin rivals Council and Tri-Valley, Titan standout Jace Waggoner texted Lumberjack standout (and this week's top star) Owen Hatfield to congratulate him on a game well-played. Turns out the two juniors had gone nearly toe-to-toe in the classic contest. Hatfield's numbers are above, but Waggoner rushed for 213 yards and five TDs, recovered two fumbles (one of which he returned for a score), and had 14 tackles on defense. As can be common in smaller communities, Hatfield and Waggoner are friendly rivals, even competing together for the North Country wrestling club, Tri-Valley's youth wrestling club, for several years leading up to high school. Both won district wrestling championships in junior high, Waggoner going on to win a state title while Hatfield was among the competitors to earn medals for their finish. Council and Cambridge are about 20 minutes apart so while the battles on the fields can be intense, the two maintain a strong respect for one another.
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