Prep football roundup: Upset, last-second defensive stands highlight return from COVID
The stands stood empty. Face masks dotted the sidelines. And the pregame coin toss was socially distanced.
But the pads still crunched. The touchdown siren still blared. And the hoots and hollers still rang from the sideline.
They all added up to unmistakable signs of high school football’s return Friday, even if it felt a bit different.
The excitement was tempered for Kuna, which fell 37-30 to Lewiston in the only 5A game in the Treasure Valley. But even in defeat, the night still provided a milestone in the region’s battle against the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’ve been waiting a long time for this,” Kuna senior quarterback Sean Austin said. “It was very uncertain, and it’s just fun to finally get out here and play.”
The reigning 4A state champions received a rude welcome back to the 5A classification as Lewiston (1-0) racked up four first-quarter touchdowns to take a 25-7 lead.
The Kavemen (0-1) rallied and cut the deficit to seven points twice in the fourth quarter as Austin threw for 413 yards and three touchdowns — all three to Koltin Teater (13 catches, 156 yards). But they never could climb out of the early hole and saw their 13-game winning streak snapped.
“It kind of took me, as a coach, and as players, awhile to get back in rhythm,” Kuna coach Sherm Blaser said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve played.
“It’s not the result we wanted, but I’m proud of the kids for fighting. It feels good to have the lights on and be on the grass.”
The rest of the 5A Southern Idaho Conference kept the lights off Friday. The Boise, West Ada and Nampa school districts all held their teams on the sideline, waiting to drop out of the highest category of community spread (red) in Idaho’s back-to-school guidelines.
Kuna played against Central District Health and Idaho High School Activities Association guidelines. But it barred fans from attending, reducing the risk of spreading COVID-19 in its community. It was the only game in the Valley without fans.
That created an odd atmosphere. But Kuna managed to create some excitement with a fire truck leading a pregame parade of students’ cars around the stadium.
“It was definitely weird,” Austin said. “Usually when you’re home, you get kind of that home-field atmosphere behind you and it kind of gives you a boost.
“But we can’t really blame that on anything. What we did tonight was our fault. We need to bounce back and fix some things so we can be better in the future.”
But the future, of course, isn’t guaranteed. Nor is next week’s game at Eagle. Or any of the ones after that.
The Kavemen will need their league opponents to get clearance to play to wash the taste of defeat out of their mouths. Or Friday night could be a one-and-done experience.
Blaser said Kuna can’t control those outcomes though, so he and the rest of the Kavemen will start getting ready for their next opponent Monday, whoever it is and whenever it is.
“Whether we play or not, we don’t know,” Blaser said. “So let’s move forward as if we are. Let’s clean up those mistakes and get back on track.
“If we get to play, we get to play. If we don’t, we don’t.”
Ridgevue 27, Canyon Ridge 0
The Warhawks forced two turnovers and held Canyon Ridge to 231 total yards to open the season with a shutout.
Ridgevue junior quarterback Cole McDonald completed 13-of-19 passes for 258 yards and a TD, and he ran for another score. Jaxson Bauscher caught four passes for 122 yards and a TD. And Jesus Valdivia ran for 43 yards and two TDs.
Vallivue 21, Twin Falls 20
Twin Falls quarterback Nick Swenson completed an 8-yard TD pass to Mason Swafford with 11 seconds left in the game. But the Vallivue defense stopped the go-ahead, two-point conversion to hold on for the win.
Vallivue trailed Twin Falls 14-7 at halftime before making a comeback. Lincoln Marler caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Casey Cope with 8:44 to play in the fourth quarter. Kendra Woods made what would end up being the winning PAT for the Falcons.
Santiago Diaz scored the other two touchdowns for Vallivue on runs of 1 and 3 yards. Diaz totaled 106 yards on 18 carries. Cope had 122 yards on the ground and 65 through the air.
Homedale 28, Emmett 21
The 2018 and 2019 3A state runner-up Trojans kicked off their 2020 campaign by taking down 4A Emmett on Thursday.
Homedale quarterback Jaxon Dines and running back Hayden Kincheloe scored two touchdowns apiece and collected a combined 245 yards on the ground. Dines also completed 6-of-15 pass attempts for another 96 yards.
Quarterback Caden Young paced Emmett with two rushing TDs and 235 total yards, and Westyn Smith added an 1-yard score in the fourth quarter.
Weiser 41, Buhl 7
Quarterback Brett Spencer had a hand in Weiser’s first four touchdowns to spearhead a victory over Buhl.
Spencer completed 7-of-11 passes for 126 yards and three touchdowns, and he added 48 yards and another TD on the ground. Bryce Crimin caught two of those TD passes for a team-leading 62 receiving yards, and Brock Spencer and Carlos Arana caught one touchdown each.
Drexler Jaynes scored Buhl’s only touchdown on a 53-yard run late in the third quarter.
Fruitland 36, Melba 34
Melba scored a touchdown with just over one minute remaining in the game, but the two-point conversion fell short, sending Fruitland to a victory.
Melba quarterback Henry Clark went 13-for-20 passing with 208 yards and two touchdowns. Trace Stimpson and Zane Helm each scored a TD on the ground.
Fruitland did not submit any details.
Marsh Valley 28, McCall-Donnelly 7
McCall-Donnelly, the 2019 2A state runner-up, received an unpleasant welcome back to the 3A classification in its season opener.
DJ Green scored the Vandals’ lone touchdown on a 62-yard run, and Gideon Lowen led the defense with 18 tackles and an interception.
Nampa Christian 63, Wendell 0
Nampa Christian gobbled up 565 yards of total offense while holding Wendell to just 34 yards.
Quarterback Landon Cheney accounted for five of the Trojans’ touchdowns, connecting on four through the air and one on the ground. Cheney completed 15-of-17 pass attempts for 300 yards without an interception. Dane Bradshaw added two rushing TDs for Nampa Christian, while Ryan Schober and Caleb Johnson had one score apiece.
Receiver Simon de Jong caught two of Cheney’s TD passes and totaled 41 receiving yards.
New Plymouth 14, Parma 8
New Plymouth forced four turnovers and held on for a victory over 3A Parma in the season opener for both teams. No individual statistics were available.
Horseshoe Bend 22, Wilder 6
A trio of two-way stars led Horseshoe Bend to a win over Wilder in both teams’ 2020 season opener.
Junior quarterback Colten Meyer passed for 244 yards, rushed for 85 yards and totaled three touchdowns while adding an interception on defense. Senior Caedmon Graham hauled in 93 receiving yards and one score, plus an interception on defense.
Sophomore Blayne Meyer polished off the victory with 81 receiving yards, one touchdown and a fumble recovery on defense.
Cody Walker scored Wilder’s only touchdown on a 64-yard run early in the third quarter.
Marsing 39, Valley 14
No details were reported.
Rimrock 56, Greenleaf 0
Rimrock scored 34 points in the first quarter and earned its first shutout since the 2016 season.
Quarterback Michael Nanney led the way for the Raiders by connecting on 10-of-15 pass attempts for 171 yards and three touchdowns. Nanney ran for 41 yards and another score.
Gus Black, Pedro Varela and Alex Martinez hauled in one touchdown reception each. Black paced the Raiders with 87 receiving yards.
Clearwater Valley 60, Salmon River 12
No details were reported.
This story was originally published August 28, 2020 at 11:10 PM.
