Prep football recap: BK shuts down Vallivue. Meridian slays another giant. Rocky Mtn rolls
What happens when one of the top offensive teams in all of 4A football matches up with the classification’s most feared defense?
On Friday night, it was a mismatch that went in favor of the defense.
No. 2-ranked Bishop Kelly suffocated Vallivue’s run-heavy offense and cruised to a 35-6 road win, the Knights’ 15th straight victory over the Falcons.
“We knew this was going to be a physical game,” Bishop Kelly (5-0, 2-0 4A SIC) coach Tim Brennan said. “(Vallivue is) a physical football team, and our kids came to play. We got a little better today, and we continue to work to get better next week.”
Vallivue running back Tyson Fox entered as 4A’s leading rusher (185.8 yards per game), and he did grind out 146 yards on the ground. He also was tackled for a loss on six of his 27 carries.
Bishop Kelly’s focus on Fox forced Falcons quarterback Isaac Moore to try to spur the offense. But the Knights held him to a 3-for-9 night with just 14 yards.
“We knew we had to stop the run, but also knew they were going to do some play action,” Brennan said. “On defense, our secondary, was very disciplined and we did a great job with getting pressure on the quarterback.”
Bishop Kelly running backs Ryder Bordner and Peter Minnaert punched in 1-yard rushing TDs on back-to-back possessions to give Bishop Kelly a 14-0 lead in the second quarter. The Knights then forced a three-and-out, and quarterback Hadley Smith found Logan Fettic on for 30-yard touchdown throw to extend the lead.
Fox got Vallivue (2-3, 2-1) on the board with a 10-yard score just before halftime. But that was it for the Falcons, who finished with just 217 total yards of offense.
Minnaert and Dean Tipton-Wade added rushing touchdowns in the second half for Bishop Kelly. Minnaert finished with 60 yards rushing on 14 carries.
MERIDIAN 14, HIGHLAND 6
Marco Del Rio ran for 182 yards and two touchdowns in the second quarter, and the Warriors’ defense did the rest as No. 2-ranked Meridian (5-0) scored another win over a perennial power.
Del Rio led a ground-and-pound game plan that saw Meridian run for 251 of its 281 yards of offense. Rylie Byington served as the secondary weapon, running for 53 yards.
Neither team scored in the second half. Meridian held Highland (2-3) to 211 yards of offense, and Joaquin Labrador grabbed an interception for the game’s only turnover.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN 48, CENTENNIAL 6
The Grizzlies (5-0, 2-0 5A SIC Foothills) scored 34 points in the second quarter to put away the Patriots.
Quarterback Tegan Sweaney went 10-for-13 for 245 yards and four TDs. Luke Luchini led all receivers with 143 yards and two TDs on four catches.
Running back Nick Varchaver ran for 46 yards and a score for the Patriots, but Centennial (0-5, 0-2) was held to just 116 yards of offense.
MOUNTAIN VIEW 50, BOISE 7
The No. 4-ranked Mavericks (3-2, 3-0) triggered the running-clock mercy rule in the fourth quarter to keep pace with Eagle atop the 5A SIC River Division.
Justin McGee ran for 68 yards and four first-half touchdowns. And Mountain View’s defense forced three turnovers and a safety.
Boise’s (2-3, 0-3) Cooper Smith finished 10-for-26 for 155 yards and a 17-yard touchdown to Braiden Rhodes in the fourth quarter.
CAPITAL 27, TIMBERLINE 14
The Eagles built a 27-0 lead for their second straight win, moving to 2-3 overall and 2-0 in the 5A SIC Foothills Division. No stats were reported for Capital.
Timberline (0-5, 0-2) quarterback Austin Rovig finished 12-for-28 for 169 yards and a pair of late touchdowns. And Dane Slavin ran for 102 yards on 13 carries.
BORAH 21, OWYHEE 17
The Lions (3-3, 1-3 5A SIC River) rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter Thursday night at Dona Larsen Park, scoring 14 unanswered points to snap a three-game losing streak.
Parker Rushton ran for 104 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including a 3-yard run with 4 minutes remaining that put the Lions ahead. Korbin McCarney finished 10-for-17 for 145 yards, and the Borah recovered a fumble in the final 30 seconds to ice the game.
Kade Martin went 13-for-20 for 56 yards for Owyhee (3-3, 1-3), and Cade Walker ran for 45 yards.
MIDDLETON 42, THUNDER RIDGE 7
Middleton (3-2, 0-2 5A SIC Foothills) scored all its points in the first half to down Idaho Falls’ Thunder Ridge (2-3).
Vikings quarterback Dekker Hagler finished 6-for-8 for 232 yards and three touchdowns. Two of them went to receiver Sawyer Heck, who had three catches for 119 yards.
Quarterback Tayvin Oswald led the Titans, going 21-for-38 for 147 yards with two interceptions.
SKYVIEW 28, COLUMBIA 12
Max Cutforth threw for two touchdowns and ran for another two as the Hawks (1-5, 1-2 4A SIC) picked up their first win of the season.
Columbia (1-4, 0-2) cut the lead to 14-12 in the fourth quarter. But Cutforth iced the game with touchdown runs of 4 and 12 yards. He finished 14-of-22 for 246 yards through the air, and he ran 34 yards.
Mason Krahn stood as his top target, hauling in six passes for 130 yards and a TD. Muluken Knudsen also had a 42-yard touchdown catch to open the scoring.
Stats for Columbia were not reported.
RIDGEVUE 35, CALDWELL 13
Grayson Heil had a hand in all five touchdowns as the Warhawks (1-3, 0-1 4A SIC) scored their first win.
Heil finished 10-of-15 for 160 yards and two TDs through the air. He ran for a team-high 63 yards and two scores. And he caught a 10-yard touchdown from Jaxon Bauscher to open the scoring.
Ridgevue took a 21-0 lead into the third quarter before cruising to the win. Stats for Caldwell (0-6), which has lost 31 in a row, were not reported.
WEISER 28, PAYETTE 0
The No. 3-ranked Wolverines posted their second straight shutout, holding Payette to 100 total yards and six first downs.
Weiser (5-0, 1-0 3A SRV) showcased a balanced running game to finish with 286 of its 422 yards on the ground. Kaleb Grove (63 yards), Jayden Walker (48), Michael Youngberg (47) and Andrew Enders (19) each ran for a touchdown. Enders also went 8-for-16 for 126 yards.
Stats for Payette (3-2, 0-1) were not reported.
MELBA 55, VALE (ORE.) 12
The Mustangs (4-1) racked up 508 yards of offense on their home field to breeze by Vale.
Quarterback Cache Beus completed 16-of-20 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns. Kaden Dayley led the receivers with six catches for 79 yards and two scores. He also had an interception on defense.
COLE VALLEY CHRISTIAN 35, NAMPA CHRISTIAN 21
The Chargers (3-2, 1-0) ran for 321 yards in the 2A WIC opener for both teams. Quarterback Dalton Kranz led the ground game with 158 yards and three TDs on 25 carries. Ryan Golenor added 132 yards and a score.
Nampa Christian (1-4, 0-1) quarterback Aiden Thompson went 17-for-29 for 162 yards. He also ran for 54 yards and two TDs.
NOTUS 64, WILDER 14
The Pirates (4-1, 1-0) built a 53-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back in the 1A Division I WIC opener for both teams. Carter Woodland ran for 156 yards and three TDs, and Eli Hill ran for 68 yards and two TDs. Each added a receiving TD as Benny Guevara finished 4-for-7 for 153 yards and three TDs.
COUNCIL 44, HORSESHOE BEND 26
Josh Gipe threw for 321 yards and four TDs, ran for another score and made 11 tackles to lead the Lumberjacks (3-2, 1-0) to a key win in the race of the 1A Division II Long Pin Conference title.
Council’s Dahlton Bingham also had 11 tackles, and he added 100 yards receiving, 46 rushing yards and a rushing TD. Mason Roberts caught had two catches for 93 yards and two TDs, and he had 12 tackles.
Carson Drake threw for 240 yards and four touchdowns in a losing effort for the Mustangs (3-2, 1-1). Blayne Meyer caught three of those TDs for 150 yards, and he ran for 65 yards.
GARDEN VALLEY 66, MEADOWS VALLEY 0
Freshman Max Yearsley ran for 141 yards and two TDs, and Tim Larsen added 63 yards and two scores as the Wolverines rolled to a home win. Garden Valley (4-0, 1-0 1A Division II Long Pin) forced five turnovers. Larsen also had 10 tackles.
MORE SCORES
Details were not reported from the following games:
- Emmett 48, Tokay (Calif.) 20
- Fruitland 20, McCall-Donnelly 12
- Homedale 60, Parma 0
- New Plymouth 13, Marsing 12
- Tri-Valley 44, Salmon River 30
This story was originally published September 24, 2022 at 12:41 AM.
