Two of Idaho’s premier football programs have never played each other. That ends Friday.

During his 16 seasons as the Skyview High football coach, David Young has built a dossier on every one of the Hawks’ opponents detailing previous years’ game plans, playbooks and tendencies.

The file for Bishop Kelly, a longtime 4A SIC rival, stands the thickest at 2 inches. But Skyview joined the 5A SIC this fall, rendering most of those notes moot.

Young had to start from scratch for this week’s opponent, Capital. The Hawks and Eagles, two of the most successful programs in the state the past 10 years, have never played each other. That includes Skyview’s previous one-year stint at the 5A level in 2003, when it didn’t play Capital due to a scheduling oddity.

“When you coach against (Middleton’s) Bill Brock and (Bishop Kelly’s) Tim Brennan for 10 years, you kind of pick up some of their personalities and tendencies,” Young said. “When you’re playing a team for the first time, you don’t know their personality.”

Or even where the stadium is. Capital tweeted out a satellite map of Skyview to inform its fans where to find the football field and where to park.

The two programs have faced each other in jamborees and 7-on-7 camps. And they traded film this week, giving coaches an idea of the talent and schemes on the opposing sideline.

But the decade-plus of institutional memory is blank, creating a fog of war on both sides that extends beyond the parking lot.

“Our guys know they have won a lot of games,” Capital coach Todd Simis said. “The film, especially on offense, doesn’t lie. They went up and down the field on Mountain View. Our kids played Mountain View and know how hard that is.”

What’s not a mystery are the stakes. Both teams enter 3-2, and a single game separates third place from eighth place in the 5A SIC standings. Only the top five earn guaranteed playoff berths, so a win Friday means a lot.

“There’s a lot of parity and there’s a long way to go,” Young said. “It puts a little more pressure on this game because you can’t really afford to drop a game.”

Capital erased any doubts of a down year with a 39-7 beatdown of previously undefeated Borah last week. Quarterback Ryan Hibbs broke out, beating man coverage over and over again to throw for 264 yards and three TDs.

“He’s so cerebral and smart. That’s never been an issue,” Simis said of his quarterback with a grayshirt offer from Idaho. “But having some success, it’s bringing back the confidence maybe he lost a bit.”

That spells trouble for Skyview, which couldn’t stop the deep ball last week against Mountain View, giving up 460 yards and seven TDs through the air. Young said the Hawks have spent all week working on their coverage down the field in preparation for Hibbs.

Skyview poses its own threat through the air. Three-year starting quarterback Wyatt Storer ranks second in the 5A classification in passing (1,374 yards, 13 TDs), relying on senior Wade Carpenter, the state’s leading receiver (47 catches, 718 yards, seven TDs).

Capital’s defensive line shut down Borah’s explosive passing attack last week. But unlike Borah, Skyview running back Tyler Crowe (608 yards, 10 TDs) can punish a defense that goes all out to stop the pass.

Simis said Crowe opened his eyes on film and the game plan has to start with containing him.

“We’re going to have to score some points because they are dangerous on offense,” Simis said.

Capital opened my own eyes last week, proving it’s still a conference title contender. Expect the Eagles to mount a late-season run beginning Friday.

Capital 42, Skyview 35

Mountain View at Centennial, 7 p.m.

Look out. Mountain View’s offense appears to have found its groove, racking up 637 yards and 58 points to crush Skyview last week. Senior quarterback Noah Bryant led the way, throwing for 460 yards and seven TDs, including four to Blake Jablonski.

The Mavericks (3-2) are scary when they start clicking on all cylinders. The standings say Centennial (2-3) should keep it close. But the Patriots are giving up 35 points a game and have surrendered 40 or more points to Skyview, Rocky Mountain and Meridian.

Mountain View 42, Centennial 20

Nampa at Columbia, 7 p.m.

Both schools fought to keep their head above water at the 5A level the past four years. Now Nampa (4-1, 3-1 4A SIC) and Columbia (3-2, 3-2) find themselves in position for a playoff berth in the 4A SIC.

Nampa remains explosive offensively no matter who steps in at quarterback. Braden Minor started the season under center before separating his throwing shoulder in Week 1. Receiver Donnie Estrada led the team to three straight wins in his absence as no defense could contain the slippery runner.

But with Minor returning last week, Nampa coach Dan Holtry said the Bulldogs will return to their original plan of utilizing both, creating even more headaches for opposing coaches.

“We have certain packages for them, but it’s also who’s hot at that time,” Holtry said. “They just work so well together and complement each other and push each other.”

Columbia running back Allamar Alexander remains one of the state’s top players, regardless of classification. He’s run for 848 yards through five weeks, including 150 yards last week before exiting a loss to Vallivue midway through the second quarter with a knee contusion.

Columbia coach Jon Hellmandollar said Alexander remains day-to-day and the Wildcats will need to spread the touches around if he can’t play Friday.

“Obviously it limits us a bit without him, but we have some other players that can step up as well — that will need to step up,” Hellmandollar said.

Even with a limited Alexander, the scales tip in Nampa’s favor. For all the attention Nampa’s offensive playmakers receive, the Bulldogs’ defense has led the way with 17 forced turnovers this fall, the most in 4A.

Nampa 35, Columbia 28

Weiser at Fruitland, 7 p.m.

Fruitland (2-2) finds itself in unfamiliar territory. The two-time defending state champs have lost back-to-back games, and SRV rival Homedale throttled Fruitland 34-0 last week to become the state’s No. 1-ranked team.

It was the first time an opponent shut out Fruitland since 2003.

Weiser (4-1), meanwhile, is off to one of its best starts in years. First-year coach Tom Harrison has the Wolverines’ rebuild ahead of pace. But a wounded Fruitland team is a dangerous one, one riding a 14-game winning streak over Weiser.

Fruitland 34, Weiser 22

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This story was originally published September 26, 2018 at 4:35 PM.