Contender or pretender? We’ll find out in these 5 football games in Southwest Idaho
A wild start to the high school football season leaves more questions than answers in the Treasure Valley.
Upstarts Boise and Borah remain undefeated. Meridian and Rocky Mountain already have two losses apiece. And an 8-man team that hasn’t played a conference game in five years is 3-0.
So what’s real and what’s a mirage? We’ll find out a lot this week.
EAGLE AT OWYHEE
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday
Broadcast: NFHSNetwork.com
Owyhee (3-1, 1-1 5A SIC River) racked up a pair of historic accomplishments in the past week. The Storm upset Mountain View 24-17 for the program’s first win over a traditional 5A powerhouse. That led to Owyhee’s first appearance in the state media poll Tuesday, when the Storm debuted at No. 4.
Now the Storm take on their first No. 1 opponent with Eagle (3-0, 1-0) coming to town. The Mustangs have relied on an elite defense thus far, holding Kuna to six points and Rocky Mountain to three points in the past two weeks.
Owyhee got a taste of that defense a year ago in a 27-7 loss. Eagle limited the Storm to 127 yards of offense, 80 of which came on a late touchdown drive with the game already decided. The Mustangs’ defense has become more formidable since then.
Friday marks Eagle’s third ranked opponent in its first four games. The Mustangs pulled out a 36-33 win over Meridian on opening night and a 7-3 victory against Rocky Mountain last week. But both of those games were at home.
Prediction: Eagle 28, Owyhee 17
MOUNTAIN VIEW VS. BORAH
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday at Dona Larsen Park
Broadcast: NFHSNetwork.com
No. 3-ranked Mountain View (2-1) owns a 13-2 all-time record against the Lions. But the Mavericks are the one entering desperate for a win after a loss to Owyhee leaves them 0-1 in the 5A SIC River Division.
Penalties haunted the Mavericks last week, with 12 resulting in a loss of 154 yards. But Mountain View never got its normally efficient offense on track, finishing 4-for-14 on third downs and committing two turnovers.
Mountain View can’t afford a repeat performance against Borah (4-0, 2-0). The Lions are on the verge of their first 5-0 start since 1995. Running back Jevon Nelson (708 yards, 10 TDs) looks like an all-state candidate. And quarterback Jacob Detwiler (734 yards, five TDs) has punished opponents who load the box too heavily.
Prediction: Mountain View 24, Borah 20
EMMETT AT SKYVIEW
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Thursday
The calendar may still read mid-September, but the winner of this game controls their destiny for one of two automatic playoff spots in the 4A Southern Idaho Conference. The loser isn’t eliminated, but they’ll need help or will need to rely on an at-large berth.
No. 4 Emmett (3-0) enters with one of the state’s most prolific running attacks, averaging 301 yards per game early in the season. Freshman quarterback Jax Banuelos provided more balance last week in a 17-13 win over Lake City. But his job remains to get the ball of the hands of the Huskies’ playmakers, including Isaac Brennan and Quentin Smith.
Skyview (2-2, 1-0 4A SIC) scored its first conference win last week with a 45-0 shutout of Vallivue. The Hawks’ two losses came against 5A opponents, and Cache Beus has quickly made a name for himself as one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks at the 4A level.
Prediction: Emmett 33, Skyview 30
NORTH FREMONT AT MELBA
Kickoff: 6 p.m. Saturday
Broadcast: NFHSNetwork.com
Reigning 2A Western Idaho Conference champ Melba (2-0) made its debut in the state media poll this week at No. 5. But make no mistake, the powers in 2A football hail from East Idaho.
The Mustangs have cruised to wins over St. Maries and Gooding. Rylan Franks has proved himself to be a weapon all over the field, and Cutter Beus has stepped in ably at quarterback. But Melba will face its toughest test yet — and its best chance to prove it belongs with 2A’s powerhouses — against No. 1 North Fremont (3-0).
Prediction: North Fremont 29, Melba 15
CASCADE AT TRI-VALLEY
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday
Broadcast: NFHSNetwork.com
The most surprising story at the 8-man level comes from Cascade. The Ramblers couldn’t field a team for three straight years, then played an independent schedule last fall. They are competing this year as a full member of the Long Pin Conference for the first time since 2018, leading them to finish dead last in the league’s preseason coaches’ poll.
But Cascade pulled three straight upsets to start the season, including a 28-24 win last week over Lewis County, a playoff team a year ago.
How long can the Ramblers continue their Cinderella story? They’ll find out Friday at Tri-Valley (2-1), an explosive and veteran squad that has put up 50 or more points each of the past two weeks.
Prediction: Tri-Valley 40, Cascade 26
This story was originally published September 13, 2023 at 1:40 PM.
