Prep football preview: One 5A division title on the line. Plus, a big game atop the 4A SIC
The stakes rise each week as the high school football state playoffs draw closer. (Just three weeks away now.)
One team could claim a first-round bye in the playoffs and a spot in the 5A SIC championship game Friday. Another could place a stranglehold on the 4A SIC race or watch it descend into turmoil again. And teams throughout the Treasure Valley are trying to keep pace while casting an eye on the scoreboard and potential tiebreakers.
Here’s what to watch for this week in the Treasure Valley.
CAPITAL AT MOUNTAIN VIEW
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday
Broadcast: NFHSNetwork, IdahoSports.com (audio)
Both teams can clinch a 5A SIC River Division title and a spot in the conference championship game Friday.
No. 2-ranked Mountain View (6-0, 3-0 5A SIC River) secures the division title and a first-round playoff bye with a win. No help is needed.
Capital (5-1, 3-0 5A SIC River) needs a win and a Borah loss to Owyhee on Thursday to wrap up a repeat trip to the SIC championship game. Wins by Borah and Capital would mean Capital needs to beat the Lions the following week to nail down the division crown.
Mountain View has won five straight against the Eagles dating back to the 2016 state championship game. But while the Mavericks sport an undefeated record behind a dominant running game (245 yards per game), they haven’t dominated. Three of their six wins came by a touchdown or less.
Capital quarterback Max Clark leads all 5A passers with 1,846 yards and 21 touchdown throws, inching closer to Jake Plummer’s single-season program record of 28 TD passes. But while he and the Eagles have posted plenty of impressive numbers, Capital laid an egg in its toughest test so far this season, getting shut out for the first time since 2008 in a 35-0 home loss to Meridian.
Prediction: Mountain View 27, Capital 14
ROCKY MOUNTAIN AT TIMBERLINE
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday
Broadcast: NFHSNetwork
The 5A SIC Foothills Division title won’t get decided until next week’s Meridian at Rocky Mountain matchup. But No. 3-ranked Rocky Mountain (5-1, 2-0 5A SIC Foothills) gets one last tuneup.
The Grizzlies have won nine straight and are 11-2 all-time against Timberline (4-2, 0-2 5A SIC Foothills). Since a Week 2 loss to Mountain View, the three-time defending league champs have bounced back with a vengeance. Rocky Mountain has rolled to four straight dominant wins, averaging 27.3 points in the first quarter of those victories.
Timberline started the season 4-1. But those four victories came against teams that are a combined 5-18. The Wolves haven’t fared as well against tougher competition, scoring 17 total points in a pair of losses to Meridian and Eagle.
Prediction: Rocky Mountain 34, Timberline 14
EAGLE AT SKYVIEW
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday
Broadcast: NFHSNetwork
Eagle (4-2, 2-1 5A SIC Foothills) has pitched second-half shutouts in back-to-back weeks to stay in the hunt for a Foothills Division title. The Mustangs wrap up their division schedule Friday needing one more win to keep their conference title hopes via a tiebreaker alive.
Skyview (4-2, 0-2 5A SIC Foothills) has lost back-to-back games since a 4-0 start. But it had Meridian on the ropes last week before three turnovers sank its upset bid.
Prediction: Eagle 22, Skyview 14
EMMETT AT MIDDLETON
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday
Broadcast: IdahoSports.com
No. 2-ranked Emmett (5-1, 4-0 4A SIC) won the first 4A league title in program history last year. The Huskies can take a huge step toward another one with a win Friday.
The game will feature two of the state’s top quarterbacks. Reigning 4A All-Idaho Player of the Year Caden Young leads Emmett as a two-way threat. He ranks second in 4A with 846 rushing yards and 13 TDs, and he’s racked up 1,643 total yards and 23 TDs.
Meanwhile, Middleton’s Ky McClure leads 4A’s top offense (41.7 ppg) as the classification’s leading passer (1,821 yards, 14 TDs). He had a hand in all six of the Vikings’ touchdowns in a 51-42 loss at Bishop Kelly last week. While he’s more of a traditional pocket passer, he’ll lower his head and run for the tough yards as well.
Prediction: Emmett 35, Middleton 33
NAMPA CHRISTIAN AT DECLO
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday
No. 5 Nampa Chrisitan (5-1) gets a chance to prove it belongs among the state powers with a trip to No. 4 Declo (5-1), winner of four state titles in the past nine seasons.
Nampa Christian has put up impressive numbers, including 43.5 points per game, behind a powerful offense led by quarterback Landon Cheney and running back Dane Bradshaw. But the Trojans’ five wins came against teams with a combined record of 4-24.
Prediction: Declo 36, Nampa Christian 26
This story was originally published October 6, 2021 at 5:38 PM.
