Week four in high school football throughout Idaho had a little bit of everything, including a number one ranked team going down, big upsets across classifications and some statement wins.
5A:
-Mountain View backup quarterback Carson Wells helped lead the Mavericks back from a 19-6 deficit late in the fourth quarter to upend #1 Rocky Mountain at home. Joey Elwell got the late-game scoring started by punching it in from 2-yards out with 3:22 on the clock. After a defensive stop and a drive moving the offense deep into Grizzlies territory, Wells picked up a loose football from the grass and scampered through the right side of the line and into the end zone with 11 seconds left to knot things up at 19. Magnus Wattles connected on the PAT to give Mountain View a 20-19 lead that would hold until the final whistle. If there was any question about the defending state champions being back in the mix this year those were squashed on Friday. This is a resilient bunch that will contend for another state title. To come away from this one 4-0 with a backup quarterback at the patrols and a third string running back carrying the load late after Caden Hansen went out is wildly impressive. The win is the third consecutive regular season victory over Rocky Mountain for the Mavericks, and should place them squarely in the discussion with Coeur d'Alene for first place votes in the state media poll this week.
-Speaking of Coeur d'Alene, the Vikings and Post Falls continue to add to impressive non-conference resumes. Both schools knocked off Washington opponents, with Coeur d'Alene handing it to Moses Lake 35-7 and Post Falls thumping Cheney 56-10. The CDA defense forced five turnovers, while the offense was efficient led by quarterback Colson Yankoff, who finished 32-41 for 274 yards. The Vikings ran for just 68 yards, so moving forward Shawn Amos will hope to see some more balance in that regard. Post Falls on the other hand saw its defense put a vice grip on Cheney, holding the offense to just 72 passing yards and 98 on the ground. The second unit for the Trojans played much of the second half, as Post Falls took a 42-3 lead into the break. In the second half alone Garrett Sciortino had 14 carries and 110 yards.
-Heading into their matchup this Friday at Thunder Stadium, Hillcrest (4-0) and Madison (3-1) both had statement wins last week. The Knights went up north to Lake City and blanked the Wolves 54-0, while Madison won the Buck Bowl in convincing fashion 50-7. If you are looking for the most efficient quarterback stat line of the week, look no further than Hillcrest's Dalton Clark, who went 11-14 for 309 yards and five touchdowns against the Lake City defense. This is the most talented team for the Knights in the Jeff Marshall era, and they will be tested in a big way against Madison this week. The Bobcats air-ground combination of Jordan Porter (22-27, 211 yards and 5 touchdowns) and Karson Hastings (19 carries, 177 yards, 2 touchdowns) ran up, over and around the Broncos all night on Friday. The Madison at Hillcrest matchup can be seen live and free on IdahoSports.com with Lorin Jensen and Seiji Wood on the call.
-Centennial could be a legitimate threat for a playoff spot from the 5A SIC this season. After losing the final five games of 2016 and finishing with just three wins, the Patriots appear to be back on the right track under Dave Koch, standing at 2-2 after four weeks, which could easily be 3-1 when factoring in a one-point loss in the opener to Meridian. A key matchup against Borah this week will shed light on how far along the program is when it comes to thinking playoffs this season. That Saturday game can be watched live and free on IdahoSports.com with Clay Hatfield and Ken Webster on the call.
4A:
-The winningest active head coach in the Treasure Valley has shown why the last two weeks, as Bill Brock has helped lead Middleton from 0-2 to 2-2 with back-to-back wins over top five 4A programs in Vallivue and Emmett. Trailing 20-0, the Vikings came roaring back using the arm of Darin Post, who threw for three touchdowns and ran for the game-winning score from a yard out in the fourth quarter. Standing 2-0 in conference action, Middleton will now have contests against Caldwell and Ridgevue prior to a huge battle with Bishop Kelly on the road on October 6. Emmett has Skyview next week and that one can be watched live and free on IdahoSports.com with Del Gray and Josh Byers on the call.
-Skyview should stay at number one in the media poll this week after holding off Vallivue 40-28. The Wyatt Storer-DeMonte Horton connection continues to create mismatches with opposing secondaries, as the Hawks offense has scored 40 or more in all but one game this season.
-Twin Falls continued its domination of the Service Bowl rivalry matchup with Canyon Ridge, defeating the Riverhawks 29-14. A 22-0 hole proved to be too much for Canyon Ridge, which put up a resilient effort to get back in the game, but would see hopes dashed when Taryn Casperson ran 48-yards for a touchdown with three minutes left to put Twin Falls up two scores. The win improves the Bruins to 8-1 in the annual cross-town battle.
-Pete Molino looks to have Idaho Falls back in the discussion for a playoff spot this season after back-to-back wins over Jerome and Pocatello. The 36-20 win at Pocatello in week four establishes that the Tigers can definitely be in the conversation amongst a stable of teams that are in the hunt in the 4A out of district 5-6. Century looks improved as well, with defending state champion Skyline appearing to be the early favorite in conference action. Idaho Falls will get a litmus test of where it stands on Saturday in the Emotion Bowl against those Grizzlies. You can watch it live and free on IdahoSports with Matt Harris and Lorin Jensen on the call.
-Sandpoint (1-3) earned its first victory of 2017 with a 35-30 defeat of Raymond (Alberta). It was backup quarterback Declan Plummer leading the Bulldogs to victory as he ran for three touchdowns. The waters are still as muddied as ever in the 4A Inland Empire however, with Lakeland (1-3) and Moscow (2-2) both falling to Washington opponents on Friday. In what is just a three team conference, the top seed heading into the playoffs will come down to the final week of the season. Conference play gets started on October 6 as Lakeland plays host to Moscow.
3A:
-#1 ranked Fruitland is in the drivers seat yet again in the SRV. The Grizzlies erupted on 4A Wood River to the tune of 73 points in a 73-10 demolition of the Wolverines. Conference foes Homedale, Parma, Weiser and Payette all lost on Friday. Fruitland begins SRV play this week at home against Payette.
-South Fremont is going to be a tough out in the 3A ranks this season. After battling #3 Gooding to the end in a 20-14 loss in the opener, the Cougars have strung together three consecutive wins against quality 2A opponents in Bear Lake, West Jefferson and 35-14 over Firth this past week. Head coach Chad Hill having Mountain Rivers Conference Offensive Player of the Year Reece Yancey back this year has been huge, along with multiple weapons around him such as Steven Zundel and Daniel Coverley.
-It was an offensive struggle on Friday in Arimo. The Diggers and Eagles combined for just 363 yards in a 13-7 Sugar-Salem win over Marsh Valley. We mentioned it earlier in the season, but as expected, the defense is going to have to carry the Diggers this season. In order to eclipse South Fremont and Shelley in conference action, Sugar will need more on offense however. Kyle Ostermiller led the way in this one with 104 yards on 16 carries.
-While we are on the topic of the Mountain Rivers Conference, watch out for Teton. The Redkins have had a tough schedule to begin the season, but Brody Birch's team has as much offense as anyone in the state. If they can shore up the defense a little there could be some competition for the second spot out of the conference to the playoffs. So far this season Teton has put up 35 or more in all but one game.
-The Gooding and Kimberly matchup on September 29 should yet again be for conference supremacy. The defense for the Senators appears to be the best it has been in the Cameron Andersen era. Gooding has already shut two opponents out, held South Fremont to 14 and limited Fruitland to its lowest point total of the season.
2A:
-Aberdeen and Ririe had a defensive struggle break out between the two on Friday in a 14-0 Tigers win. For the bulk of the game the Bulldogs held the potent Aberdeen offense to just seven points. To hold a team that had been putting up 52 points per game prior to this week to just 14 is a good sign for a Ririe program that has had just one season with four wins since 2009.
-Declo should yet again stay number one in the media poll after heading into Buhl and blowing out the Indians 53-18. The high-powered Hornets take on another explosive offensive attack hosting Teton this week. That game can be watched live and free on IdahoSports.com with Ryan Howe on the call.
-West Jefferson had the most impressive win of week four, upsetting 3A #4 Homedale at home 35-27 in a game that was not that close for the bulk of the action. The double wing ran by the Panthers and an opportunistic defense led to a 28-7 lead early for West Jefferson. The Trojans came storming back, but it was too little, too late for the visitors. Braxton Ramirez was the leading rusher for the Panthers in the victory, galloping for 119 yards on 20 carries and reaching the end zone twice. Bridger Burtenshaw (48 yards, two touchdowns), Zane Mecham (57 yards) and Kache Sullivan (41 yards) all eclipsed 40 yards in the win for West Jefferson.
-The Central Idaho Conference made a statement over the Western Idaho Conference on Friday, with Grangeville blowing out McCall-Donnelly 42-8 and Orofino filling up the scoreboard in a 46-22 win at home against Nampa Christian. The wins improve the CIC to 4-1 in 2017 so far against WIC foes, with the only win for the WIC coming in opening week action when McCall-Donnelly upended Orofino.
-Melba ran for 370 yards in a 49-32 win over Payette. The Mustangs should be competitive in the Western Idaho Conference, where Cole Valley Christian is the only school with a winning record through four weeks. Melba gets conference play started on Friday at Marsing.
1AD1:
-Grace battled defending state champion Raft River tough in a 20-6 loss on the road, which is a good sign for Brandon Sanchez's defensive unit after yielding 62 to Oakley in the opener. The Grizzlies have shown consistent improvement each week and should be in the mix for a playoff spot.
-Oakley's Jake Pulsipher was huge in a 64-0 blanking of Hagerman, finishing with eight tackles and four interceptions. It was a nice rebound for the Hornets after falling 46-42 to Raft River the last time they took the field.
-Prairie has bounced back well from a 36-6 loss to Genesee in the season opener for the Pirates. Prairie put up 30 points in each of the first two quarters against Council before the Lumberjacks forfeited trailing 60-8 at the half. A Caleb McWilliams 50-yard punt return for a touchdown was one of the many highlights for Prairie in the win.
-Clearwater Valley has now won back-to-back games to improve to 2-1 after shutting out Timberline (Weippe) 54-0. Bubba Summer rushed for 197 yards offensively and led the way on defense as well with two sacks and two fumbles. Lane Schilling also ran for 176 yards and four touchdowns as the Rams ran all over Weippe to the tune of 487 yards.
-It may be time to pay attention to Rimrock in the Western Idaho Conference. As teams throughout the conference continue to struggle in the early going, Rimrock quietly improved to 3-1 with a 28-16 win over Cascade on Friday. The schedule has not been all that challenging for the Raiders yet, but nonetheless, the wins adding up is a good sign to begin the Mark Martell era on the sidelines.
1AD2:
-Butte County protecting its home field in a 58-30 win over Rockland was an impressive display of what the Pirates are capable of. Keyan Cummins led the way with 235 yards on 13 carries, and oh by the way, four touchdowns and 16 tackles. Brady McAfee had 17 tackles as well to top the stat sheet for Butte County, while Dylan Beard had 15. Now that the Pirates have escaped the threat of the Bulldogs, the September 29 matchup with Clark-Watersprings could potentially be the biggest remaining test on the schedule standing in the way of the top spot out of the district heading into the playoffs.
-Kendrick went into Troy on Thursday and shut down the Trojans in a 56-0 win. After a season opening 60-14 loss to Genesee, Kendrick has responded well with 88 and 56 point offensive outputs, while allowing just 14 points in the last eight quarters.
-The Long Pin Conference is loaded at the top. Tri-Valley (50-6 at Idaho City), Garden Valley (42-20 vs. Glenns Ferry) and Salmon River (46-0 vs. Notus) combined to defeat three opponents this week 138-26. Each school is a legit top five team this year, meaning each week will be do-or-die in conference play. The defending state champion Savages were the preseason favorites, but the impressive showings by Garden Valley and Tri-Valley will keep things interesting.
-Murtaugh won its first game since a 78-76 win at Idaho City on November 1, 2013. To end the 28-game losing streak the Red Devils toppled Richfield 56-18.
-The Clark-Watersprings co-op is working out well for both sides, as the team pulled out its biggest win of the season on the road at North Gem, a playoff squad from a year ago. The 24-22 victory improved the co-op to 2-0 in conference action, meaning the road contest at Butte County on September 29 will be for first place.
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