Three-headed monster powers Meridian into 5A state semifinals. Up next? Another rematch
A lot went wrong for the Meridian High football program Friday night.
The state’s unanimous No. 1-ranked team committed three turnovers. It was flagged for nine penalties. It left several scoring opportunities on the field.
But the Warriors’ three-headed running game rode to the rescue, and Meridian gutted out an 18-6 victory over Middleton in the 5A state quarterfinals.
“We reached down or did what we had to do to keep going in this thing,” Meridian coach John Zamberlin said. “Sometimes you gotta go through adversity to see what you’re made of, and we were able to deal with that and pull out the victory.”
The win sends Meridian (10-0) to the state semifinals for the second straight year. It will host West Ada School District rival Mountain View (7-4) at 7 p.m. next Friday for a spot in the championship.
Middleton (7-4) stood toe to toe with Meridian, setting the stage for a possible upset Friday. But Meridian’s stable of running backs eventually wore down the Vikings.
Rylie Byington, Marco Del Rio and Luke St. Michell combined for 33 carries, 193 yards and two touchdowns on a night where windy conditions and opportunistic defensive backs made yards through the air hard to come by.
Meridian finished the night with 209 rushing yards, including 131 in the second half.
“I’m thankful we have those three running backs,” Meridian senior linebacker Nate Reynolds said. “They definitely have the heart, and they just keep driving. If someone gets in the way, they’ll just run you over and keep going.”
Meridian started the season relying on Byington (85 yards) and Del Rio (64 yards). But after a shoulder injury cost him all of last season, St. Michell (44 yards) continues to work his way into the rotation. And he provided two of the biggest plays Friday.
The senior ran through a pair of tackles for a 7-yard touchdown run to put Meridian up early after a fumble on Middleton’s opening drive. He then finished the scoring with an 11-yard touchdown that saw him push a pile and drag seven defenders into the end zone.
“For him coming back, it was a little slow in the beginning, trying to figure out where he was with the other guys,” Zamberlin said. “He’s just, by his hard work and steady performance in practice, earned those opportunities to play in the game. And when he has, he’s done great things for us.”
The power running game complimented Meridian’s defense, which held the Vikings to 168 total yards. That included just 49 yards in the second half.
REMATCH WITH MOUNTAIN VIEW
The victory sets up the fourth meeting in the past two seasons between the Warriors and the Mavericks.
Meridian spoiled Mountain View’s undefeated season last year with a 35-6 upset win on the Mavericks’ field in the quarterfinals. And the Warriors topped Mountain View 13-7 earlier this fall.
But as Middleton showed Friday, it’s not always easy beating a team twice. Especially one that has won back-to-back road playoff games.
“It’s interesting,” Reynolds said. “Middleton came out way tougher this time. We expect that from Mountain View.”
MIDDLETON’S ‘GREAT RIDE’
Coaches picked Middleton to finish ninth out of 13 teams in a preseason poll. But the Vikings far exceeded those expectations, racking up seven wins in their first season in the 5A classification.
Middleton not only made the playoffs, it held the state’s top offense to a single score in a 14-7 upset win in Lewiston last week. And the Vikings bounced back from a 56-7 loss to Meridian earlier this year to put a scare into the No. 1-ranked team Friday.
“I can’t tell you we planned on being in the quarterfinals or whatever,” Middleton coach Bill Brock said. “But we planned on being able to compete. We planned on making the playoffs.
“Our kids bought in, and it was a great ride while it lasted.”
This story was originally published November 4, 2022 at 11:22 PM.
