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1. Preston Wood, Carey 
In the much-anticipated, one-versus-two 1A matchup on Friday, the Carey senior accounted for 440 yards of offense – 261 yards passing and 179 yards rushing – and had a hand in five touchdowns as the Panthers knocked off Dietrich to move closer to securing a first-round bye in the state playoffs. Carey (6-1 overall, 4-0 Sawtooth) hosts Shoshone on Friday.

2. Dylan Uhlenkott, Prairie With the help of its senior running back, Prairie (5-2 overall, 4-1 Whitepine) finds itself in good positioning for the 2A playoffs following Friday’s win over Potlatch. Uhlenkott carried the ball 26 times for 349 yards and four scores on offense and had 11 solo tackles (13 total stops) on defense with Troy and top-ranked Kendrick remaining on the schedule.

3. Benny Guevara, Notus The senior QB/DB kept the Pirates alive in the 2A playoff race Friday night as he threw for 288 yards and rushed for another 173 yards (461 yards of total offense), had a hand in eight touchdowns, and picked up a sack and an interception on defense in the Pirates win over Centennial Baptist. Notus (3-4 overall, 3-1 WIC) is done in conference play, having one non-conference game remaining, and the Pirates will need help to reach the 2A state playoffs.

Honorable Mention
Greg Hayes (Coeur du Christ Academy)
Julian Davis (Wallace)
Sawyer Hewett (Kendrick)
Todd Roberts (Kamiah)
Jay Marshall (Potlatch)
Julian Barros (Lapwai)
Jace Waggoner (Tri-Valley)
Devon Herzig (Salmon River)
Wade Vining (Council)
Trevor Corn (Garden Valley)
Craig Yost (North Gem)
Garrison Applegate (Challis)
Korban Nelson (Watersprings)
Cole Olson (Cascade)
Connor Perkins (Dietrich)
Shaymus Merrill (Hagerman)
Landon Stuart (Glenns Ferry)
Soyer Young (Murtaugh)
Kohl Beck (Oakley)
Ronaldo Gomez (Rimrock)
Levi Hendricks (Butte County)
Lincoln Barger (Clearwater Valley)
Braden Kimball (Grace).

“Alcoa Presents … Fantastic Finishes”
Raise your hands if you remember that feature in 1980s NFL TV broadcasts, where they’d showcase an unusual or unexpected finish. Friday afternoon in Idaho Falls, 1A Watersprings scored with about a minute to go to tie Challis, 48-48. Following the ensuing kickoff, a penalty backed the Vikings up to their five-yard line. That’s when senior quarterback Jacen Farr found junior Garrison Applegate on the post route, trying to start a drive towards go-ahead points. Applegate decided to do the rest of it himself, breaking two tackles and outrunning the Watersprings defense for a game-winning, 95-yard touchdown that kept Challis’ playoff hopes alive. There’s a realistic path to a three-team tie atop the 1A Rocky Mountain Conference where Challis, Rockland, and North Gem would all be 3-1 in conference play. In that scenario, Rockland has beaten Challis, Challis has beaten North Gem, and North Gem would have to beat Rockland on October 25. Challis (4-3 overall, 2-1 RMC) must defeat Mackay on “Senior Night” at home on Friday to keep its hopes alive.

Crowded Field
Preston Wood announced his presence with authority Friday against Dietrich. Earlier this fall, Dietrich’s Connor Perkins did the same with a ten-touchdown game. Lakeside’s Tyson Charley authored his own nine-touchdown gem.  Council’s Owen Hatfield had back-to-back six-score efforts against rivals Tri-Valley and Garden Valley. Don’t forget about Tri-Valley’s Jace Waggoner, who puts up video-game numbers on a weekly basis. Or Wallace’s Cooper Miller, who is averaging 336 total yards per game and has a hand in 36 touchdowns in seven games so far – as a freshman. And those are just the quarterbacks. We don’t envy the 1A coaches when it comes time to cast their votes for state-wide honors at the end of the season.

No Easy Road
Almost quietly, the defending 1A Division 1 (now 2A) state champion Butte County Pirates have hovered as the no. 2 team behind Kendrick in the 2A state polls. Three different runners – Keaton Archibald, Razor Duke, and Rawson Twitchell – rushed for over 100 yards in Friday’s win over Raft River, which moved the Pirates to 6-0 overall. Head coach Sam Thorngren has challenged his team, too. Logos, Valley, and Carey were the first three wins for Butte County and they’ve combined to lose (… checking notes …) three games. As in, the Pirates have handed each team its only loss so far this season. Two tough ones lie ahead for Butte County, too, as the team travels to one-loss Hagerman on Friday before returning home for the lone High Desert Conference game of the season against Grace on October 25.