These underdogs demand respect. They can earn it in Friday’s top prep football games
Respect never comes easy in high school football. It’s built slowly over years and through playoff victories.
But several teams have raised eyebrows around the Treasure Valley the first month of the season. And those upstarts get a chance to prove they deserve to be considered among the state’s best with marquee matchups Friday.
Here are the top games to watch in the Boise region.
MERIDIAN AT EAGLE
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday
Broadcast: NFHSNetwork.com, IdahoSports.com (audio)
Meridian (3-1, 1-0 5A SIC Foothills) continues to fly under the radar despite a fast start. The Warriors blanked Capital 35-0 last week, handing the Eagles their first shutout loss since 2008. But Meridian has yet to crack the top five in the state media poll.
Eagle (2-2, 0-1 5A SIC Foothills) has owned the Warriors for more than a decade, winning 14 straight against their cross-district rival. But far more than bragging rights are on the line Friday. Both teams need a win if they are to challenge Rocky Mountain for the Foothills Division title and a spot in the 5A SIC championship game.
Meridian has relied on the state’s top defense (5.3 points per game) and freshman quarterback Zeke Martinez (680 pass yards, eight TDs, no interceptions) to earn three straight wins. Senior quarterback Malakai Martinez played limited snaps last week as he works back from a shoulder injury. His return would add another weapon for the Warriors.
Meanwhile, Eagle uses an explosive offense that can rack up yards and points in a hurry. It will need to reel off several more big plays to avoid losing three straight games for the first time since 2005, the Mustangs’ last losing season.
Prediction: Meridian 28, Eagle 22
ROCKY MOUNTAIN AT SKYVIEW
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday
Broadcast: NFHSNetwork.com
Skyview (4-0, 0-0 5A SIC Foothills) also gets a chance to quiet all the skeptics Friday.
The Hawks have yet to earn any statewide respect or crack the state media poll despite their undefeated start. A soft schedule of Columbia, Nampa, Boise and Owyhee stands as the main culprit. Those four teams are a combined 3-13, and Skyview needed a second-half rally to put away Boise.
No. 3-ranked Rocky Mountain (3-1, 1-0 5A SIC Foothills) ends any talk of a soft schedule. The Grizzlies are the three-time defending league champ, have won two state titles in the past three years and are a combined 34-2 since 2018.
A 26-20 loss to Mountain View three weeks ago ended Rocky Mountain’s 29-game winning streak against conference opponents. How did the Grizzlies respond? By cruising to wins over Eagle and Centennial. That includes holding Centennial to 49 yards last week.
Prediction: Rocky Mountain 35, Skyview 12
EMMETT AT NAMPA
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday
Broadcast: NFHSNetwork.com
Last year’s matchup in Emmett was an instant classic. Nampa pulled out a 41-40 win in a game that featured four lead changes in the fourth quarter alone. The Bulldogs took the lead with 1:04 left, then had to stop a two-point conversion 11 seconds later to hang on for the win.
Nampa (1-3, 1-1 4A SIC) has the chance to throw a wrench into the league standings again Friday. And it needs another upset to stay in control of its destiny for an automatic playoff berth. The path to an at-large berth may prove difficult with four losses in five weeks on its resume.
But points will be tough to come by against No. 4-ranked Emmett (3-1, 2-0 4A SIC). The reigning league champ is surprising everyone again, and the Huskies have posted back-to-back shutouts of Bishop Kelly and Ridgevue.
Prediction: Emmett 21, Nampa 14
FRUITLAND AT WEISER
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday
This long-running rivalry added more intrigue last year, when Fruitland coach Ryan Tracy was suspended for two games for photographing plays from the Wolverines’ playbook and sharing them with Emmett.
Fruitland (2-1) won the regular-season meeting 18-15 in the middle of the scandal. But Weiser (4-0) scored revenge with a 42-0 victory in the playoffs.
That marked a continued changing of the guard in the 3A Snake River Valley. It’s Weiser who has won two of the past three meetings (both shutouts). It’s Weiser who stands as the top challenger to Homedale’s reign as conference champ. And it’s Weiser who enters ranked No. 2 in the state.
Prediction: Weiser 31, Fruitland 13
COLE VALLEY CHRISTIAN AT MELBA
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday
Broadcast: NFHSNetwork.com
No one will award the winner the 2A Western Idaho Conference crown Friday. But this conference opener will go a long way toward determining the champion.
Melba (2-2) entered the season as the reigning league champ and preseason favorite. The Mustangs dropped their first two games against a tough schedule (Fruitland, North Fremont). But they’ve found their stride in the past two weeks with blowouts of Nyssa, Ore., and Valley.
Cole Valley Christian (3-1) has surprised thus far, holding on to the No. 5 ranking in the latest state media poll despite a 47-14 loss at West Side last week. The Chargers earned much of that respect with a 26-21 win over Fruitland two weeks ago. And they will look to get even after a 41-0 loss at the hands of the Mustangs a year ago.
Prediction: Melba 37, Cole Valley Christian 27
This story was originally published September 22, 2021 at 5:34 PM.
