Prep football recap: Mtn View dethrones Rocky for 5A SIC title; 6 playoff berths clinched
The Mountain View High football team previously had to sweat out close victories with last-minute touchdowns or goal-line stands.
But the Mavericks provided no such drama Friday.
Mountain View overpowered Rocky Mountain in the second half for a 26-6 win in the 5A Southern Idaho Conference championship game, ending the Grizzlies’ reign as three-time league champs and bringing the Mavericks the first full 5A SIC title in program history.
“We just proved that we’re a force to be reckoned with,” Mountain View junior defensive back Khye Ackley said. “We proved that nobody can look down on us. We proved that we can’t be underdogs anymore.”
No. 2-ranked Mountain View (9-0) previously won 5A SIC division titles in 2014, 2015 and 2017. But the 5A SIC did not crown a full league champion in those seasons, and the Mavericks had never won a conference title in any year before the league grew large enough for two divisions.
Friday marked just the second time the 5A SIC pitted its division winners against each other in a true championship game. And Mountain View used it to end any talk of who rules the Treasure Valley by topping Rocky Mountain for the second time this year.
The Mavericks’ defense created four turnovers and forced a safety in the second half to hold the No. 3-ranked Grizzlies (7-2) to their fewest points since a 7-6 loss to Borah on Sept. 29, 2017.
“It’s amazing because it’s history, ‘‘ Mountain View senior running back Quintez Evans said. “No team here has ever beaten Rocky Mountain twice in a season. So it’s amazing to see that we did that. We played together as a team, we stayed together, and that’s what happened.”
Evans led the way again, running for 184 yards and three TDs on 37 carries. But Mountain View’s defense set him up with a short field time after time. And he and the Mavericks took control with a wild third quarter.
After leading 7-6 at halftime, Max Maile recovered a fumble at midfield to set up an Evans’ 1-yard TD run. Mountain View’s Grayson Flatten then recovered the ensuing squib kick, leading to Mason Labra’s 29-yard field goal and a 17-6 lead.
Ivan Perkins added the third turnover of the quarter with a fumble recovery at the Rocky Mountain 35-yard line. The Grizzlies stuffed Evans on fourth-and-goal from the 2. But they couldn’t do anything with the possession, and punter Dawson Anderson bobbled the snap as a swarm of Maverick defenders closed in, resulting in a safety.
Ackley then put the game away with an interception on just his third defensive play of the night with 10:05 left in the fourth quarter. Evans punctuated the drive with his final TD run.
“It was kind of like sharks to blood,” Mountain View coach Judd Benedick said of his team’s second-half outburst. “There was a little blood in the water, and they started feeling it.
“... Pretty soon, they’re playing better and they don’t think that anybody can get the best of them.”
Both teams had already clinched their playoff berths and first-round byes entering Friday. The league title only determined seeding in the 5A state playoffs.
Mountain View will host the winner of Madison-Meridian in two weeks. Rocky Mountain hosts the winner of Skyview-Highland in two weeks on the other side of the bracket, opening the door for a possible rematch in the state championship.
Eagle 62, Kuna 14
Eagle (7-2) will be the West 3 seed in the 5A state playoffs after walloping the Kavemen (1-8).
The Mustangs scored 47 points in the second and third quarters of a game that was never close. Quarterback Jack Benson threw for 175 yards and two touchdowns, and he also rushed for 65 yards and two TDs to lead the offense.
Eagle’s run game was nearly unstoppable, with Deegan Martinho rushing for 94 yards and two scores, Roy Hull adding 72 yards and a TD, and Brandon Reese and Gavin Crawford combining for 74 yards.
The Mustangs will host the at-large team next week in the playoffs. That team will also be determined after Monday’s Kansas City playoff in North Idaho.
Meridian 35, Centennial 0
The Warriors (6-3) clinched a playoff berth as the fourth seed from the SIC with their third shutout of the season. Meridian will host Madison (6-3), which upset No. 1 Rigby on Friday, in the first round next week.
Meridian’s state-leading defense held the Patriots (2-7) to 62 total yards while forcing a pair of turnovers.
Complete offensive stats for both teams were not provided.
Capital 42, Timberline 7
Capital (6-3) clinched a playoff berth and extended the final season of longtime head coach Todd Simis at least another game.
Quarterback Max Clark had a hand in four of the Eagles’ six touchdowns, passing for three and running for one. Tight end Kody Walk was on the receiving end of two of those TDs, and he ran for a 3-yard score in the fourth quarter.
Timberline (5-4, 1-3), which got its lone TD in the fourth quarter on a 9-yard pass from Wade Zenner to Garrett Lavin, was eliminated from playoff contention with the loss.
Capital, the fifth seed from the SIC, will travel to the yet-to-be-determined runner-up from North Idaho next week. The Inland Empire League ended in a three-way tie, which won’t be broken until Monday.
Skyview 41, Borah 14
Facing a win-or-go-home scenario in the 5A SIC cross-division round, the Hawks (5-4) clinched a state playoff berth and snapped a four-game losing streak by forcing six turnovers Thursday at Dona Larsen Park.
Camden Young snared two interceptions, including one he returned 98 yards for a touchdown. TerRyek Penning also had two interceptions and fumble recovery.
Max Cutforth led Skyview offensively, completing 14-of-24 passes for 269 yards and five TDs. Pennington (five catches, 135 yards) and Young (4 catches, 67 yards) both had a touchdown catch. And Mason Krahn hauled in two TD passes.
Skyview led 28-0 at halftime before Borah found the end zone. Parker Rushton ran for 94 yards on 25 carries, and quarterback Korbin McCarney finished 28-of-39 for 248 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions.
Skyview finishes as the sixth seed from the SIC and will travel to Highland in the first round of the playoffs. Borah, which had won five in a row before Thursday, will have to wait until Monday to find out if it earns the playoffs’ at-large berth.
Vallivue 8, Emmett 7
Vallivue all but clinched a playoff berth by upsetting 4A SIC champion Emmett on the road.
Falcons QB Santi Diaz scored on a 38-yard run with 10:12 remaining in the fourth quarter, then ran in the two-point conversion to take the lead.
Emmett (7-2, 6-1 4A SIC) was threatening to score with less than 2 minutes remaining, but the Vallivue defense held Emmett QB Caden Young on fourth-and-4 from the 14-yard line to secure the victory.
Diaz finished 4-for-8 through the air for 64 yards and an interception and totaled 71 yards on the ground.
Young collected 194 yards on 25 carries, including an 81-yard TD run with 1:19 on the clock in the first quarter.
Emmett wrapped up the league title last week, ensuring it a top five seed in the playoff bracket. Vallivue (5-4, 4-3) will need to await the final MaxPreps rankings to ensure it qualifies as an at-large team.
Nampa 69, Caldwell 16
Nampa rolled past Caldwell (0-9, 0-7 4A SIC) in the final regular-season game for both teams.
The Bulldogs (5-4, 5-2) already wrapped up a No. 3 finish in the 4A SIC and now await their seed — via MaxPreps rankings — for the state playoffs.
Quarterback Gabe Navarro made the most of his limited throws, going 6-for-7 for 170 yards and four touchdowns. Nampa also scored six touchdowns on the ground, getting two from Jaime Quijano and one apiece from Daniel Carrillo, Dante Avjian, Ryan Schuler and Payton Gunter.
Matthew Vialet scored both of Caldwell’s touchdowns and totaled 110 yards on 26 carries.
Middleton 42, Columbia 20
Middleton clinched the 4A SIC’s fourth and final automatic playoff berth with a win over Columbia.
The Vikings (5-4, 4-3 4A SIC) amassed 502 total yards, led by quarterback Ky McClure’s 350 passing yards and four touchdowns. Receiver Tyler Medaris caught three of those TD passes and finished with nine catches for 152 yards.
Running back Thompson Goodfellow added 102 yards and a score on 10 carries.
No individual stats were provided for Columbia (2-7, 2-5).
Bishop Kelly 56, Ridgevue 13
The Knights (7-2, 6-1 4A SIC) head into the playoffs after a lopsided victory over the Warhawks (1-7, 1-6), who were coming off their only win of the season.
Seth Knothe rushed for 80 yards and three touchdowns for Bishop Kelly, whose lethal rushing attack ground out 225 yards. The BK defense held Ridgevue to 143 total yards, recovered three fumbles and did not allow a score until late in the third quarter.
The Warhawks’ first TD came on a 99-yard kickoff return by Jaxson Bauscher in the second quarter, after the Knights had built a 32-0 lead.
Homedale 35, Fruitland 0
Homedale, already the 3A Snake River Valley champion and owner of a bye into the state quarterfinals, completed an undefeated regular season with a shutout of the Grizzlies.
Homedale’s defense held the Grizzlies to 203 yards of offense and forced four turnovers, including a fumble recovered by Obed Palacios in the end zone for the game’s first touchdown. On offense, the Trojans (9-0, 5-0) rushed for 264 yards. Hayden Kincheloe led the way with 112 yards and two TDs.
The loss ends Fruitland’s season at 4-4, 2-3 3A SRV. McCall-Donnelly’s 29-13 win over Payette had meant the Grizzlies ended in a three-way tie with McCall and Payette for third place and the final playoff berth. But Fruitland will forfeit its two games in the tiebreaker.
McCall and Payette will still play for the playoff bid.
Notus 64, Wilder 19
Notus captured its second straight 1A Division I Western Idaho Conference title by defeating Wilder.
The Pirates get an automatic playoff berth and a bye into the quarterfinals, while the Wildcats will have to compete for one of seven at-large bids awarded via MaxPreps rankings.
Junior Carter Woodland continued his dominant season with 258 total yards and five touchdowns for the Pirates (8-1, 4-0 1A D-I WIC).
Fellow junior Tristan Aspiazu had an impact on both sides of the ball, returning an interception for a touchdown and adding a rushing TD.
On defense, defensive lineman Aaron Jimenez had nine tackles, one sack and a fumble recovery. Defensive end Julian Gallegos had six tackles and one sack. And Parker Reay added eight tackles and an interception.
No stats were provided for Wilder (5-3, 3-1).
Horseshoe Bend 38, Council 36
In a tight battle for the 1A Division II Long Pin league title, the Mustangs completed an unbeaten regular season and earned a bye into the state playoff quarterfinals.
Horseshoe Bend (8-0, 4-0 1A D-II Long Pin) got 123 yards passing and 85 yards rushing from senior QB Colten Meyer, and he also returned an interception for a touchdown. Blayne Meyer rushed for 136 yards and three TDs for the Mustangs, and Decker Larson had scores rushing and receiving.
No stats were provided for Council (5-2, 3-1), which also made the playoffs.
Castleford 62, Rimrock 0
Third-ranked Castleford hampered Rimrock’s playoff dreams with a shutout. The Raiders (3-4, 2-2) needed a win over Castleford to boost their resume for an at-large berth in the 1A Division II state playoffs.
Quarterback Ronaldo Gomez totaled 63 passing yards and 27 yards on the ground for Rimrock, while Alex Martinez led the defensive effort with 10.5 tackles.
MORE SCORES
No statistical information was provided from the following games:
- Boise 28, Owyhee 3
- Weiser 44, Parma 6
- McCall-Donnelly 29, Payette 13
- New Plymouth 44, Marsing 8
- Melba 26, Grangeville 7
- Shoshone 48, Greenleaf 32
- Castleford 62, Rimrock 0
Idaho City 54, Hagerman 36
Tri-Valley 40, Salmon River 16
This story was originally published October 22, 2021 at 11:39 PM.
