Prep football playoffs: Bishop Kelly dominates. Middleton pulls 5A upset. Weiser hangs on

No. 1 Bishop Kelly proved why it’s the team to beat in the 4A state playoffs Friday, rolling over No. 16 Canyon Ridge 70-0.

“We just talked about wanting to practice next week,” Bishop Kelly coach Tim Brennan said. “One of us is going to practice next week, and one of us is going to turn in our gear. And we wanted to stay together and play together as a team for as long as we can.”

Running back Peter Minnaert returned the opening kickoff for an 85-yard score, setting the stage as the Knights raced out to a 35-0 lead in the first quarter and 56-0 at halftime to trigger the running-clock mercy rule.

Minnaert and Dean Tipton-Wade both ran for touchdowns in the first quarter, Logan Fettic caught a 4-yard score and Noah Bornes Bornes returned a punt 55 yards to the house as the Knights ran away in the opening frame.

Angelo Quilici also added a pick-six interception in the second quarter.

Bishop Kelly’s top-ranked defense forced six punts, three turnover-on-downs and two interceptions. It forced the Riverhawks to rotate through four quarterbacks, searching for an answer that never came.

Canyon Ridge finished with 49 yards, including just two in the second half.

Tipton-Wade led all rushers with six carries for 82 yards and a TD, while Minnaert added six carries for 52 yards and a TD.

“We run the ball very well, and our offensive linemen do a great job,” Brennan said. “It’s a team effort, and (the running game) executed very well.”

Bishop Kelly will host No. 8 Pocatello (5-4) in next week’s quarterfinals. The Thunder beat the Knights in last year’s quarterfinals 28-17.

“It doesn’t matter who we play next week,” Brennan said. “We have to get better this week at practice and make sure we’re ready to play. We just have to get after whoever we play and take care of business.”

MIDDLETON 14, LEWISTON 7

So much for a shootout of two explosive teams. Instead, Middleton hit the road and rode its defense to the first 5A playoff victory in program history in its first season in Idaho’s top classification.

Middleton’s Cole Holman caught a 23-yard score from Dekker Hagler to tie the game before halftime. He then punched in the game-winning, 3-yard touchdown run with 6:46 left in the fourth quarter.

The Vikings’ defense made that lead stand, holding 5A’s top offense to a single first-quarter score and 295 total yards.

Holman ran for 93 yards on 17 carries, and Hagler finished 9-for-22 for 162 yards.

Middleton (7-3) will travel to face Meridian (9-0) in the quarterfinals. The Vikings lost 56-7 to Meridian earlier this season.

MINICO 20, VALLIVUE 14, OT

Vallivue running back Koa Maio led the No. 13-seeded Falcons (5-5) with 149 yards and a score. But Minico running back Jafeth Bendele got the last laugh with a 4-yard touchdown in overtime to help No. 4 Minico (9-1) avoid an upset in the first round of the 4A state playoffs.

Bendele finished with 146 rushing yards and two scores on 25 carries. Minico quarterback Carson Wayment went 4-for-9 for 137 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, including the game-tying 65-yard touchdown pass to JT Garza in the third quarter.

Minico will face No. 5 Blackfoot (6-4) next week.

SANDPOINT 63, SKYVIEW 35

Sandpoint (5-3) receiver Max Frank shined in the backfield, turning 12 carries into 160 yards and four TDs in a 4A first-round playoff victory. He also had two catches for 63 yards and a TD.

Sandpoint running back Joseph Hughes added 109 yards and a score. Quarterback Parker Pettit went 3-for-4 for 68 yards and an interception.

Skyview quarterback Max Cutforth went 34-for-49 for 409 yards, four TDs and an interception. Andrew Schneider led all receivers with 110 yards, and he ran for 62 yards on 14 carries.

Sandpoint will face No. 11 Shelley (5-5) in the 4A quarterfinals. The Hawks finish 2-8 in their return to the 4A.

WEISER 34, TIMBERLAKE 27

A late rally fell just short for No. 11 Timberlake, and No. 6 Weiser (9-1) ran out the clock to move on to the 3A state quarterfinals.

Wolverines’ running back Kaleb Grove finished with 103 yards and a score, including the game-winning, 3-yard TD run with 4:04 left in the fourth quarter. Andrew Enders and Kolin Cook each threw a TD pass. Micheal Youngberg caught both, finishing with four catches for 120 yards.

Running back Cooper Lenz led Timberlake (4-4) with 130 rushing yards and two scores.

MORE SCORES

Details were not reported from the following games:

• Rigby 49, Owyhee 14
• Shelley 37, Emmett 13
• Buhl 12, McCall-Donnelly 6
• Fruitland 27, Snake River 14
• West Side 61, Cole Valley Christian 14
• Carey 70, Idaho City 6
• Garden Valley 47, Lewis County 8
• Dietrich 54, Horseshoe Bend 20