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Zero Week is in the books and the high school football season is officially underway. Lots of good football was played over the weekend and I'm sure we will see much more quality football to come.
It's tough to gauge early-on the fortunes of a team. In college football, if your team loses their first game, lots of people overreact and claim the season is lost. In high school football, sometimes it can be that way too. My intent isn't to overreact here... but we only have one week of the season completed, so bear with me.
Actually, instead of bearing with me, I want YOU to tell me your thoughts and observations from Zero Week. Just post them in the comments section below. I should note that a lot of my observations come from East Idaho. That's because, well, I live here. Along with that, if I didn't talk about your team, don't be offended... just add to the conversation below!
Firth vs. West Side: The Pirates held their own, jumping out to a 12-0 lead early on. Firth then woke up and reeled off 24 straight points en route to a 24-12 victory. West Side coach Tyson Moser said it was going to be "hard to repeat as champions in the 2A South East Idaho Conference". That being said, West Side will be in the mix because Moser knows how to get the best out of his players. Firth, meanwhile, may have lost the Orme's, but they are still the favorite in the Nuclear Conference and will make some noise come playoff time.
Snake River vs. South Fremont: The Panthers graduated a lot of players from last season... it remains to be seen if this is just another slow start from Snake River or if Jeff Dalley's club is in rebuilding mode. It looks as if South Fremont is on the rise under Chad Hill... they nearly knocked off the Panthers in the final minutes. Good things are happening in St. Anthony.
Declo vs. Sugar-Salem: The Diggers knocked off defending 2A state champion Declo behind the performance of RB Jordan Godby. Declo will always be there in the 2A Canyon Conference... but Sugar-Salem could be making things difficult in the 3A Mountain Rivers Conference this season. The program seems re-energized and ready to rumble against any and all competition.
Minico vs. Park City, UT: Minico is opening things up offensively this season, with more passing plays out of the spread formation. It's working so far, with the Spartans first two touchdowns coming through the air. Even though Minico is young, watch out for them as the conference schedule rolls around...they could be clicking on all cylinders.
Pocatello vs. Spring Valley, NV: The Indians hammered Spring Valley 42-7 in game four of the Rocky Mountain Rumble. However, Pocatello had two quarterbacks under center all game long... not just every other series, but every other PLAY. You have to wonder how long this strategy will work for the Indians, considering offensive continuity is very important in football.
Highland (Poc) vs. Coronado, NV: The Rams looked REALLY good in this game. And that's not because Coronado wasn't a good team. The Cougars made it to the state semi-finals last season in Nevada. Highland was just that much better. Tommy Jewell looked like he'd been playing quarterback for years, Thad Hansen ran all over the Coronado defense, and the receivers caught some spectacular passes. Highland's defense looked good too, snuffing out any chance at Coronado putting points on the board early on.
CLICK HERE to read Part I. Post your thoughts and observations about Zero Week below!
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