Last-minute safety, explosive passes send two Valley football teams to state semis
No. 4-ranked Emmett keeps finding new and dramatic ways to win. But Friday’s 28-27 victory over Blackfoot in the 4A state quarterfinals may take the cake.
After Emmett quarterback Caden Young was stuffed on 4th-and-goal inches short of the end zone, the Huskies’ defense forced a safety on the next play for the game-winning points with 1:20 left in the fourth quarter.
A low snap doomed Blackfoot, allowing senior linebacker James Mallory to pounce on Broncos’ running back Teegan Thomas in his own end zone.
Emmett then had to survive a 44-yard field goal with 7 seconds left that would have swung the lead back to No. 2-ranked Blackfoot. But it was short, lifting Emmett (9-2) into the 4A state semifinals for the first time in program history.
Six of Emmett’s 11 games this season have been decided by seven points or fewer. The Huskies are 4-2 in those games.
Emmett will host Century (7-3) at 7 p.m. Friday next week.
Young ran for 179 yards and two TDs on 25 carries, and he finished 6-of-10 for 51 yards and two more TDs through the air.
Westyn Smith also ran for 150 yards as Emmett racked up 351 rushing yards.
Rocky Mountain 29, Highland 13
The Grizzlies (7-0) trailed after the first quarter but seized control of their 5A quarterfinal with a series of huge plays.
The game turned in the second quarter on a 74-yard touchdown pass from Kobe Warr to Jordan Erickson. A.J. Edwards added a 35-yard interception return for a TD with 20 seconds left in the first half for a 15-7 halftime lead.
The Grizzlies struck again early in the third quarter with an 85-yard connection between Warr and Erickson. Maxwell Lehman added a 2-yard TD run for a 29-7 lead through three quarters.
Erickson finished with five catches for 185 yards — accounting for more than a third of his team-leading total for receiving yards in one game and about two-thirds of the Grizzlies’ offense against the Rams.
Rocky Mountain will host No. 1-ranked Coeur d’Alene in the semifinals next week. It’s the Grizzlies’ eighth straight trip to the semifinals.
Rigby 35, Eagle 28
Eagle tied the game at 21 in the fourth quarter. But Rigby scored back-to-back touchdowns to pull away and end the Mustangs’ season in the 5A quarterfinals for the second year in a row.
Rigby quarterback Tiger Adolpho terrorized the Mustangs with his arm and his legs, finishing with 337 total yards and three TDs. His 36-yard TD pass to Colton Edwards with 5:10 left proved to be the game winner.
Eagle senior Ben Ford wrapped up his career with 150 rushing yards. He also finished 7-of-25 for 108 yards and two TDs through the air.
Jackson Stampfli added 112 rushing yards and two TDs for Eagle (6-2).
Coeur d’Alene 56, Timberline 7
Coeur d’Alene (8-0) routed the Wolves, building a 56-0 lead and extending its home winning streak to 25 games.
Vikings quarterback Jack Prka torched the Timberline defense, finishing 16-of-22 for 172 yards and four TDs.
Timberline (3-4) star running back Taylor Marcum only carried the ball three times for minus-2 yards before exiting the game after the Wolves’ second series, The Spokesman-Review reported.
The Wolves scored their only points on Wade Zenner’s 25-yard TD pass to Garrett Lavin with 1:25 left in the fourth quarter.
The loss ends Timberline’s season in the quarterfinals for the second year in a row.
Skyline 42, Nampa 21
No. 1-ranked Skyline (10-1) used a dominant second half to advance to the 4A semifinals.
The Grizzlies scored three straight touchdowns after halftime to pull away in a game they were trailing in the final minute of the first half. Connor Maloney scored on a 1-yard run and a 7-yard reception in the third quarter, and Abrahn Silverio added a 13-yard run in the fourth quarter for a 42-14 lead.
Nampa (6-3) had built a 14-7 lead in the first half on a touchdown catch by Jacob Butler and a TD run by Daniel Carrillo. The Bulldogs still led 14-13 until Skyline scored with 25 seconds left in the half.
Butler made seven catches for 122 yards. Isaak Plew was 15-for-28 for 212 yards and two TDs.
Century 33, Bishop Kelly 14
Century’s defense was too much for Bishop Kelly, which saw its seven-game winning streak snapped.
The Knights (7-2) didn’t score until the fourth quarter after falling behind 20-0. Seth Knothe finished with 105 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Century (7-3) quarterback McKean Romriell was 15-for-18 for 207 yards and a touchdown. The key play in the game was his 95-yard touchdown pass to Bruin Fleischmann late in the third quarter, when Bishop Kelly needed a stop to get back in it.
Homedale 55, Timberlake 19
Homedale sophomore quarterback Jaxon Dines completed 8-of-15 passes for 301 yards and four TDs Saturday to lead the Trojans to the 3A semifinals for the third year in a row.
Dines also ran for 36 yards and another score, finishing with 319 total yards and five TDs for No. 2-ranked Homedale (7-1).
Mason Strong served as his top target, turning three catches into 121 yards and two TDs. Hayden Kincheloe ran for 104 yards and a TD, and Trenton Fisher added 61 rushing yards and a TD as Homedale racked up 519 yards of offense.
Homedale will host South Fremont (8-2) in next week’s semifinals.
Sugar-Salem 34, Weiser 8
Sugar-Salem, the two-time defending 3A state champ, found the end zone on its first three possessions and built a 34-0 lead Saturday before allowing the Wolverines to get on the scoreboard in a 3A state quarterfinal.
Sugar-Salem (8-1) quarterback Kyzon Garner finished 7-of-8 for 181 yards and three TDs. Crew Clark ran for 78 yards to lead a Diggers running attack that racked up 212 yards.
Weiser (5-5) finished with just 192 yards of offense. Willy Shirts led the way with 58 rushing yards, and quarterback Brett Spencer ran for 46 yards and the Wolverines’ only score with 3:48 left in the fourth quarter.
Declo 50, Melba 14
The Mustangs’ season came to an end in the 2A quarterfinals. Melba finishes 6-2.
No details were reported.
Lighthouse Christian 41, Notus 6
The Pirates (7-1) suffered their first loss of the year in the 1A Division I quarterfinals. No details were reported.
Carey 46, Garden Valley 28
The Wolverines (5-4) saw their season ended by perennial power Carey for the second year in a row. No details were reported.
This story was originally published November 7, 2020 at 12:10 AM.
