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Previous 3-Star Columns:
Week One
Week Two
Week Three
Week Four
1. Sean Perry, Watersprings
The senior carried the ball 31 times for 327 yards and four touchdowns in Friday’s win over St. Joseph (UT). He also passed for over 100 yards, for a total of 453 yards of offense. And, when including his kick-return and interception-return yardage, Perry piled up a whopping 447 all-purpose yards in the win.
2. Blake Shepherd, Salmon River
Statistically, the senior quarterback was nearly perfect in Salmon River’s win over Clearwater Valley on Friday. Shepherd completed 14 of 15 passes for 326 yards and five touchdowns, while rushing for 84 yards and two more scores, for 408 yards of total offense.
3. Tate Stoddard, Grace
The sophomore carved up the North Gem defense in Grace’s 66-32 win on Friday, rushing for 233 yards and three touchdowns, one of which covered 87 yards, and also catching a pair of passes for 34 more yards. He was also in on 11 tackles defensively for the Grizzlies.
Honorable Mention
Teagan Babcock (Butte County)
Hadley Hunt (Carey)
Maddox Rowley (Cascade)
Riggin Keetch (Castleford)
Jim Tucker (Council)
Ezrah Marchand (Garden Valley)
Brayden Spriggs (Glenns Ferry)
Xander Cenarussa (Hagerman)
Grayson Denney (Hansen)
Lawson Landmark (Kamiah)
Orion Stewart (Kendrick)
Rashawn Henry (Lapwai)
Jace Cronce (Lewis County)
Grayden Bruley (Mackay)
Clay Johnson (North Gem)
Sawyer Nicoletti (Notus)
Payden Robinson (Oakley)
Cooper Riener (Prairie)
Bo Udy (Raft River)
Kooper Torgerson (Richfield)
Xavier Parrish (Rockland)
J.J. Whiteman (Sho-Ban)
Brandt Jones (Valley)
Lennox Radford (Wallace)
Gelacio Martinez (Wilder)
Tecmo Bowl Numbers
Most kids have probably heard their dads refer to “Tecmo Bowl numbers,” referring to statistics that seem straight out of the old Nintendo video game. Mackay’s Grayden Bruley (823 rushing yards, 11 TDs) and North Gem’s Clay Johnson (912 rushing yards, 15 TDs) are putting on a bit of a Tecmo Bowl show in the 1A Rocky Mountain Conference. Bruley also has 80 tackles - including 16 tackles for loss – through five games. They’re not going anywhere anytime soon, either. Both players are sophomores, and they’ll face off this coming Friday, September 25, when North Gem travels to Mackay.
When It Matters Most
Hansen head coach Todd Stimpson says the Huskies’ coaches have been urging QB/DB Graysen Denney to use his feet more. The senior responded in a big way in three pivotal moments during Hansen’s crucial 32-28 conference win over Richfield. In the second quarter, Denney stepped in front of a Brooks Kent pass on the goal line and sprinted the other way – 98 yards, officially – for a touchdown. Then, in the fourth quarter, he somehow escaped two sacks. The first time, he got free for a 28-yard touchdown, which ultimately provided the game-winning points. Then, with two minutes left, he again wiggled free from pressure on his own goal line and, instead of a possible safety, he ran 45 yards for a key first down to help secure the win. He finished the game with 100 passing yards and 80 rushing yards on offense, along with nine tackles and the critical interception return on defense.