Idaho high school football fully begins with Week 1. Picking the winners of the top games
With the appetizer of “Week 0” behind us, the high school football season begins in earnest this weekend with 26 games involving at least one team from Southwest Idaho.
How much of an advantage did playing early give all the “Week 0” teams? We’ll find out as nine of those 26 games pit a team suiting up for the first time against an opponent with one game under their belt.
That includes the marquee game this week as 5A contenders Mountain View and Meridian square off again.
MOUNTAIN VIEW AT MERIDIAN
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday
Broadcast: NFHSNetwork.com
Long a one-sided affair, this rivalry blossomed into one of the Treasure Valley’s best in the past two years.
A missed field goal with 54 seconds left allowed Mountain View to hang on for a 14-13 win in the first meeting last season. Then Meridian spoiled the Mavericks’ state title dreams, forcing six turnovers to end the unanimous No. 1-ranked team’s perfect season with a 35-6 rout in the state quarterfinals. Mountain View had committed only three turnovers all season before the game.
The Mavericks had all offseason to stew on the shocking loss. They were just one of two teams in the 5A SIC not to play last week. So they’ll enter the game with a deficit in snaps as Brian Compton makes his head coaching debut with the Mavericks.
But tradition still means something, earning Mountain View the No. 4 spot in the latest state media poll. Meanwhile, Meridian checked in at No. 5 after a 36-14 beatdown of Eagle last week.
Even after a trip to the semifinals, the Warriors are still searching for the respect afforded to programs like Mountain View. Friday presents a perfect chance to earn it.
The two teams tied for second in the 5A SIC preseason coaches’ poll. They play in different divisions, so the result won’t affect who makes the conference championship game. But it provides a measuring stick for both teams and for observers around the state.
Prediction: Meridian 20, Mountain View 14
COEUR D’ALENE AT ROCKY MOUNTAIN
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday
Broadcast: NFHSNetwork.com
Two perennial 5A heavyweights meet in a rare regular-season matchup. The all-time record between the two stands at 3-3, but Rocky Mountain has won the past three meetings, all of which came in the state semifinals and on the Grizzlies’ home field.
No. 1-ranked Rocky Mountain opened the season a week ago with a 21-7 win at Middleton. The somewhat disappointing result saw Rocky erupt for 21 points in the second quarter, then fall quiet the rest of the night.
But the Grizzlies’ touted defense showed up, holding Middleton to a single score. And after a young Coeur d’Alene squad opened the season with a 24-0 loss to Rigby, that doesn’t bode well for the five-time defending champs from the Inland Empire League.
Prediction: Rocky Mountain 20, Coeur d’Alene 7
BOISE AT RIDGEVUE
Kickoff: 11 a.m. Saturday
Broadcast: NFHSNetwork.com
The Brave pulled off the upset of the opening weekend, blanking Timberline 27-0. The win is one thing. But the shutout is the stunner for a Boise team long known for defenses more porous than a sieve.
Fresh off its first shutout in at least 30 years, Boise heads to long-struggling Ridgevue looking for its first 2-0 start since 2012. A victory won’t help the Brave in the 5A playoff race. But a strong showing would prove they are a threat.
Meanwhile, Ridgevue starts a new era with Sean Impomeni taking over the program. He brings back 13 starters (seven offense, six defense) from a year ago. But unlike Boise, the Warhawks don’t have any game experience under their belt.
Prediction: Boise 29, Ridgevue 13
BUHL AT WEISER
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday
Broadcast: IdahoSports.com
Can Weiser repeat as 3A state champs? We won’t get that answer Friday. But we’ll get a hint as the Wolverines host Buhl, whom they dispatched 62-20 in the first round of the playoffs last fall.
No. 3-ranked Weiser suffered heavy graduation losses, most notably 3A All-Idaho Player of the Year Brett Spencer. No one can replace all he brought. But the Wolverines still bring back 11 starters (six offense, five defense), including Brock Spencer, a first-team All-Idaho wide receiver.
A playoff squad that returns its quarterback, running back and the majority of its offensive and defensive lines provides an early test for Weiser.
Prediction: Weiser 34, Buhl 20
NOTUS VS. KENDRICK
Location: Middleton High
Kickoff: 11 a.m. Saturday
Broadcast: IdahoSports.com
Notus went 15-3 the past two seasons. But the perennial 8-man powers blew out the Pirates in the first round of the 1A Division I state playoffs each time.
So Notus sought a tougher nonconference schedule this fall. And it doesn’t get much tougher than a matchup with Kendrick, which lost just one player from last year’s state championship team and enters the week as 1A Division II’s unanimous No. 1-ranked team.
Senior running back Carter Woodland gives Notus a weapon to hang with anyone. But he’s coming off a hamstring injury from track season, and the Pirates break in a new starter at quarterback in Benny Guevara.
The matchup will help Notus in November. But a win in August is too much to ask for.
Prediction: Kendrick 34, Notus 20
This story was originally published August 24, 2022 at 5:41 PM.
