Any doubters now? Rocky Mountain football proves it’s still in charge of 5A SIC
A global pandemic, a delayed start to the season and a redrawn league all had the potential to upset the predicted pecking order in the 5A Southern Idaho Conference.
But two-time defending conference champion Rocky Mountain erased any doubts that the league title still runs through its hands Friday.
The No. 2-ranked Grizzlies held off No. 4-ranked Eagle for a 22-15 home victory, using its trademark defense and power running game to win its fifth straight game over its neighborhood rival.
League coaches picked Rocky Mountain (3-0) first in a preseason poll and Eagle (2-1) a close second. But a redrawn league put them both in the same division starting last week, meaning only one will make the conference title game.
Rocky Mountain kept the inside track on making sure it is the one playing for a league title. The win keeps it in first place in the 5A SIC West Division, and it already owns head-to-head wins over traditional powers Eagle and Mountain View.
“It’s always just about us,” Rocky Mountain senior running back Max Lehman said. “We control our own destiny. It doesn’t matter who’s doing what. We control ourselves, and we’re gonna answer the bell the rest of the season.”
Lehman led the way offensively, running for 206 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries.
His night got off to a disastrous start with two first-quarter fumbles. But after working his way back from a torn ACL last summer, he didn’t let those relatively minor bumps stop him.
“He’s the strongest person mentally I’ve ever met in my life,” Rocky Mountain senior defensive lineman Zack Black said. “He could have fumbled three more times and had the same positive attitude, head up, go get ‘em the next play. He’s just a dude, all around.”
Lehman’s two rushing touchdowns spotted Rocky Mountain a 15-0 lead. Eagle rallied to tie the game at 15 early in the fourth quarter when Jackson Stampfli broke loose for an 80-yard TD run.
But Rocky Mountain never panicked and responded with its longest drive of the game. Kobe Warr rolled out to his right and found Justin Douglas sitting in a hole in the zone for an 8-yard, go-ahead touchdown pass that capped a 10-play, 76-yard drive.
Warr only attempted nine passes on the night as a driving wind grounded both passing games in the first half, and Rocky Mountain focused on pounding the ball on the ground. But he delivered the big plays when the Grizzlies needed them, including a 37-yard pass to Jackson Mason to set up the game-winning score.
“He’s a competitor,” Rocky Mountain coach Chris Culig said. “Like I said last week, he’s won a lot of football games in his career. He seems to make a big play when you need it.”
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies’ defense shut down dynamic Eagle quarterback Ben Ford. Ford entered Friday having torched defenses the first two weeks for 846 total yards and 10 TDs. But the state’s top defense two years in a row held him to 156 total yards and out of the end zone completely.
Ford averaged 3.9 yards per carry and only completed 5-of-21 passes (24%).
“We felt like we just had to get as many people close to the ball as we could,” Culig said. “Because you watch him against Mountain View and watch him against Kuna, I mean, it was scary, right?
“... We tried to mix it up. We tried to give him different looks. We believe in pressure, so we were saying alright we’re gonna pressure him and hopefully get there quick.”
Both teams have a bye next week as part of the 5A SIC’s rebuilt schedule. Rocky Mountain hosts Kuna (1-3, 1-2 5A SIC West) on Oct. 2.
Eagle travels Oct. 2 to upstart Meridian, which beat Mountain View on Friday and is 3-0 for the first time since its undefeated state title season in 2007.
This story was originally published September 18, 2020 at 10:15 PM.
