It’s ‘payback’ time. Rocky Mountain clinches rematch with Mountain View for 5A SIC title
Three-time defending league champion Rocky Mountain clinched a spot in the 5A Southern Idaho Conference championship game Friday, hanging on for a 24-21 win over Meridian.
But the Grizzlies didn’t storm the field after clinching the 5A SIC River Division crown. They didn’t bask in the glory. They didn’t pose for pictures.
They only had one target on their mind — Mountain View.
The Mavericks snapped Rocky Mountain’s 29-game winning streak against conference opponents back in Week 2. Now the No. 3-ranked Grizzlies get another shot at their crosstown rival for the 5A SIC title next week. No. 2 Mountain View hosts at 7 p.m. Oct. 22.
“Honestly, it’s just payback for Game 1 against Mountain View,” Rocky Mountain senior defensive lineman Mason Jacobsen said. “We get to come back and play (them). We’re excited for it.
“It’s just another grind. There’s nothing to celebrate yet.”
This marks the second year the 5A SIC has crowned its champion in a true championship game the final week of the regular season. And the league gets the matchup everyone expected after Mountain View (8-0, 5-0 5A SIC River) finished atop the 5A SIC preseason coaches’ poll with reigning state champ Rocky Mountain (7-1, 4-0 5A SIC Foothills) right behind them.
But no one wanted the rematch more than Rocky Mountain, which had to watch the Mavericks hoist the Battle of the Mountains rivalry trophy after a 26-20 loss on Sept. 3. Mountain View had previously lost three straight to Rocky Mountain.
“This is what we wanted from the beginning,” Rocky Mountain junior running back Art Williams said. “We got what we wanted. Now we’ve got to go execute.”
ROCKY MOUNTAIN WINS FOOTHILLS DIVISION
The Grizzlies could have advanced to the league championship game with a loss by seven points or fewer thanks to tiebreakers they held. But Rocky Mountain took no chances, extending its winning streak over Meridian to 10 straight games.
It wasn’t always pretty. Rocky Mountain turned the ball over three times in the first half. And it committed 11 penalties for 114 yards, including a block-in-the-back call that erased Teagan Hutch’s 97-yard kick return touchdown to open the game.
But Teagan Sweaney threw for 223 yards and two TDs to temper his two interceptions. Williams made up for a lost fumble with 142 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. And the Grizzlies’ defense stood tall on short fields.
“It just tells you the ceiling is really high if we can keep cleaning up (mistakes) and play to our potential,” Rocky Mountain coach Chris Culig said. “We still haven’t played to our potential. We’re getting there.”
MERIDIAN FALLS TO NO. 3 SEED
The loss drops Meridian (5-3, 2-2) to a third-place finish in the 5A SIC Foothills Division. That means the Warriors, who have lost three games by a combined five points, will host Centennial (2-6) in the cross-division round next week.
A win over Centennial clinches Meridian a state playoff berth. The Warriors beat the Patriots 41-0 in Week 2.
Senior quarterback Malakai Martinez finished 18-of-31 for 184 yards and three TDs in his second straight start after battling injuries all season. But the Warriors could never establish the run, finishing with 44 yards on 22 attempts.
This story was originally published October 15, 2021 at 11:08 PM.
