Prep football recap: Boise still undefeated. Owyhee pulls big upset. Skyview posts shutout
The Boise High football team continued its historic start to the season Friday, cruising to a 49-14 win at Nampa.
The win made Boise 4-0 for the first time since 1988. But more importantly, it left the Brave tied atop the 5A SIC River Division at 2-0 as they try to end a 20-year playoff drought.
Boise was led by the ever-present senior wide receiver Cooper Smith, who completed the hat trick with touchdowns receiving, rushing and passing. Smith ended the game with 157 total yards, including 61 yards on five receptions.
“We knew we had that in Cooper,” Boise coach Mike Altieri said. “And teams are doing things now to bracket him and eliminate him from our game plan, and so we have to have other guys step up. But Cooper is a difference-maker.”
Both teams started the game slowly, but Boise entered halftime with a 14-0 lead. Smith caught the first of those touchdowns on a 38-yard connection with sophomore quarterback Trevor Schoolfield, and senior running back Alex Hess punched in a 1-yard touchdown run.
Hess stepped up when the Brave couldn’t get the ball into Smith’s hands. He finished with 93 total yards, including seven catches for 69 yards.
“Alex has been tremendous for us,” Altieri said. “Because we spread the ball out, and because teams know that we’re going to throw the ball quite a bit, they tend to leave four- or five-man boxes. We have to be able to run the ball between the tackles, and Alex has stepped up tremendously.”
Nampa (0-3, 0-2) showed some life on the first play of the second half when senior slot receiver Josh Peterson exploded for a 75-yard touchdown run, shrugging off two linemen in the process. Peterson was a bright spot on the night for the Bulldogs, finishing with 120 total yards. He was one of Dom Almarez’s favorite targets on the night, with the sophomore quarterback ending the night 13-for-28 for 131 yards.
But Nampa’s hope was short-lived. Three minutes later, Boise defensive back Dexter Reinhard scooped up a fumble and jogged into the end zone to restore the two-touchdown lead.
The Brave continued to roll, including a trick play that saw Smith throw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Schoolfield, who finished 26-for-45 for 278 yards and three TDs. He also ran for a score.
But now, the hard work begins for Boise. The Brave take a bye next week before facing Mountain View (2-1) on Sept. 21 and closing out September against No. 1 Eagle (3-0).
“We’re feeling good. We’ve got a lot of improvements to make still,” Altieri said. “We had a lot of mistakes — mental mistakes, penalties and stuff that we just have to clean up. We’re going have to play a lot better for those boys.”
OWYHEE 24, MOUNTAIN VIEW 17
The Storm (3-1, 1-1 5A SIC River) scored their first win in program history over a traditional 5A powerhouse Thursday night, riding quarterback Matt Irwin to upset the No. 3-ranked Mavericks (2-1, 0-1).
Irwin finished 17-for-31 for 164 yards and a TD, and he ran for 17 yards and two scores, including the game-winning touchdown early in the fourth quarter. It was the only score in the second half after a 17-17 halftime tie, and Logan Haustveit iced the game with his second interception of the night.
Henry Nelson highlighted the evening for Mountain View, going 7-for-11 for 81 yards and a touchdown. The Mavericks outgained Owyhee in yards 288-251, but they committed 12 penalties for 154 yards.
BORAH 35, KUNA 7
Jevon Nelson ran for 258 yards and four touchdowns despite not playing a single snap in the fourth quarter as the Lions remained undefeated.
Borah (4-0, 2-0 5A SIC River) quarterback Jacob Detweiler finished 13-for-15 for 196 yards. Tanner Sittser was his top target, hauling in eight catches for 131 yards.
Stats for Kuna (2-2, 0-2) were not reported.
SKYVIEW 45, VALLIVUE 0
The Hawks forced a pair of turnovers and held Vallivue to 129 yards for the shutout.
Skyview (2-2, 1-0 4A SIC) quarterback Cache Beus racked up 268 total yards and five touchdowns. He went 12-of-14 for 199 yards and two scores through the air, and he ran for 69 yards and three TDs.
Tyler Buckley led Vallivue (0-3, 0-1) in both rushing yards (35) and receiving yards (38).
BISHOP KELLY 47, RIDGEVUE 6
The No. 1-ranked Knights (3-0) racked up 400 yards of offense, including 335 on the ground at 12.9 yards per carry, to run away with their 4A SIC opener Thursday night on the road.
Peter Minnaert ran for 136 yards and two TDs, and Cooper Cammann added 110 yards and a score on just four carries. Tylan Kaschmitter (69 yards) and Crew Nelson (10 yards) also ran for touchdowns.
Bishop Kelly held Ridgevue to just 109 yards and forced a pair of turnovers. The Warhawks (0-2, 0-1) were led by Cash Spackman, who ran for 41 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown.
WEISER 62, BONNERS FERRY 6
The No. 3-ranked Wolverines (3-0) scored a touchdown on every possession but their last one and averaged 15.5 yards per play to run away with a nonconference win.
Quarterback Kolin Cook went a perfect 9-for-9 for 187 yards and touchdowns to four different receivers. Brock Spencer hauled in three passes for 73 yards and a TD, and he returned a punt 49 yards for a score. Kaleb Grove also ran for 43 yards and two scores.
MARSING 30, PAYETTE 20
Jace Chadez went 13-for-21 for 219 yards and three TDs, and he ran for 55 yards and another score to lead the Huskies (2-1) to the nonconference home win.
Payette (1-3) quarterback Darrien Pecunia finished 11-for-17 for 126 yards and a score. He also ran for 60 yards, and he made 11 tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown.
MELBA 28, GOODING 6
Gooding (1-2) drew first blood but never scored again as the Mustangs (2-0) rolled to the conference win.
Rylan Frank led Melba in receiving (120 yards, two TDs) and rushing (66 yards). Cutter Beus threw for 165 yards and those two scores. And Isaac Arrington added 57 rushing yards and a touchdown, all in the fourth quarter.
NAMPA CHRISTIAN 53, PARMA 0
The Trojans (1-2) put on the perfect show, holding Parma (0-3) to negative-27 yards of offense.
Aiden Thompson and Dylan O’Brien shared the quarterback duties, with the duo combining to go 13-for-18 for 256 yards. Addison Taylor led Nampa Christian’s defense with five tackles.
RIMROCK 42, HANSEN 34
The Raiders (1-2) recorded their first win of the season against Hansen (0-3).
Ronaldo Gomez carried Rimrock with 223 rushing yards and five touchdowns, and he threw for 90 yards and another score. Morgan Field (10 tackles) and Riley Gonzalez (nine tackles) led the Rimrock defense.
This story was originally published September 8, 2023 at 6:12 PM.
