Owyhee QB was snakebit past two years. Finally healthy, he threw 4 TDs for homecoming win
A veteran quarterback is worth his weight in gold.
Owyhee’s Matt Irwin showed why Friday night.
The three-year starter threw for 236 yards and four touchdowns, guiding the Storm to a 31-21 homecoming win over Borah to keep Owyhee in control of its playoff destiny.
“He’s taken a lot in, trying to learn a new offense his senior year,” Owyhee first-year coach Jason Burton said. “The quarterback position is a hard position. Everything is scrutinized. So to come in, keep an even keel and keep going as the game went on was really awesome to see.”
The senior spun straw into gold to close the first half, changing the complexion of the game. Owyhee (4-2, 2-2 5A SIC River) broke the huddle after an injury timeout with just 10 players. Confusion reigned as Kade Martin sprinted onto the field.
Irwin admitted he called the wrong formation in the mayhem, sending Martin to the left side when he belonged on the right. But Irwin adjusted on the fly, stepped up between two pass rushers and hit Martin for a 25-yard touchdown with 12 seconds left in the second quarter.
The score gave Owyhee a 14-7 lead, one it never surrendered the rest of the night.
“They ran the right concept,” Irwin said. “I just had to put a little bit of touch on it. It wasn’t a pretty ball. But it hit its spot.”
Irwin added a 48-yard touchdown throw to Martin in the third quarter, and he led the Storm on a 13-play, 80-yard drive that burned 5 minutes, 25 seconds off the fourth-quarter clock. Irwin hit Cam Givens on a 1-yard touchdown with 2:56 left, stretching the lead to 17 points.
“That’s something that our offense really hasn’t done, put away a game like that,” Burton said. “Each week, we’re trying to work and get better so when it’s Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, we’re locked and loaded.”
Owyhee heads into that stretch with that rare veteran leader under center. A rotator cuff injury limited him as a sophomore, and a broken shoulder ended his junior season after four games. But after adding 20 pounds in the offseason, he’s finally healthy and ready to lead Owyhee into the final month of the regular season, and possibly more.
“Coming back this year is big,” Irwin said. “I’m happy with it all.”
BORAH LEADERS
Senior running back Jevon Nelson continued to carry the Lions (4-2, 2-2), running for 137 yards and a first-quarter touchdown. He also was Borah’s leading receiver with seven catches for 77 yards.
Borah quarterback Jacob Detwiler finished 19-for-24 for 174 yards and two TDs. He threw a 13-yard score to Mason Monteleone and a 9-yard touchdown to Hendrix Castro to twice pull the Lions within 10 points in the fourth quarter. But that’s as close as they could get.
UP NEXT
Owyhee travels to Nampa (0-5, 0-4) next week for a Thursday night game, the first of two straight road games to close the regular season.
Borah takes a bye week before facing Boise (5-0, 3-0) at Dona Larsen Park on Oct. 5.
This story was originally published September 22, 2023 at 11:45 PM.
