Prep football recap: Bishop Kelly rumbles to 9-0. Rocky, Mtn View punch playoff tickets
Most offensive linemen only dream of scoring a touchdown. Few actually get the chance.
Bishop Kelly left tackle Rakeem Johnson waited his entire high school career for the opportunity, and it finally presented itself Friday in the Knights’ 36-7 win over Skyview, a victory that clinched their second straight 4A Southern Idaho Conference title.
Johnson scored the first touchdown of the game on a hook-and-ladder play.
On fourth-and-5 from Skyview’s 13-yard line, quarterback Ben Avella fired a short pass to wide receiver Cooper Cammann. He caught the ball at Skyview’s 6 and tossed a lateral to Johnson, who was lined up as an extra tight end on the play.
The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Oregon State commit rumbled into the end zone, dragging a couple of would-be tacklers with him and sparking a senior night that he won’t soon forget.
“I looked to the guard beside me before the snap, and he was like, ‘Now is your time,’” Johnson said. “I just kept thinking, just don’t drop it.”
[Related: Idaho football state playoff brackets]
As it turned out, nothing was going to stop him from catching the ball and scoring — not even the cast on his right hand.
“I carried the ball in my right hand a couple times in practice this week and almost dropped it, so I knew I had to be strong with my left,” Johnson said.
The play has been in Knights’ playbook since the second week of the season, coach Chris Culig said. The team ran it over and over in practice, but Friday night was the first time it was tried in a game.
“We’ve been waiting to call it in a big spot,” Culig said. “We try to have a little fun and spread the love around out there.”
The big-man touchdown helped Bishop Kelly (9-0, 5-0), ranked No. 1 in the state media poll, head into the playoffs with plenty of momentum.
“We’ve been working for this since the start of summer, but we take it one game at a time and it worked out well for us,” BK running back Peter Minnaert said of another 4A SIC title.
Minnaert powered the offense Friday night with 159 yards on 16 carries. He scored on two short touchdown runs in the first half, the second of which sent the Knights into halftime with a 22-0 lead.
Bishop Kelly also got a 22-yard touchdown run from Cammann on an end-around early in the fourth quarter. The Knights finished the game with 199 rushing yards.
“I firmly believe we have the best O-line in the state,” Minnaert said. “They make me look a lot better than I am.”
It was a game of missed opportunities for Skyview (6-3, 4-1), which moved the ball with ease on its first drive of the game, but stalled on Bishop Kelly’s 8-yard line after quarterback Cache Beus was sacked on back-to-back plays. The drive ended when kicker Tyler Kinsman, who has a scholarship offer from Boise State, missed a 43-yard field goal try.
The Hawks made it to the Knights’ 10-yard line on their second drive, but they were turned away with no points again, turning the ball over on downs.
Skyview, which had a five-game winning streak snapped, found itself inside Bishop Kelly’s 10-yard line two more times in the second half, and those drives also ended with no points.
“We spent more time on red zone defense in practice than we have all year because we thought it might be big tonight,” Culig said. “We just really battled out there, and I’m really proud of those guys.”
Skyview’s opening drive of the second half ended with a punt that was blocked by Bishop Kelly’s Trey Jorgensen, setting the Knights up on their opponent’s 28. Two plays later, Avella found Cammann on a 26-yard touchdown pass that put Bishop Kelly up 29-0.
Beus scored five touchdowns in Skyview’s win over Ridgevue last week, but he was mostly held in check by the Knights’ defense, which tallied four sacks on Friday. Beus managed just 68 yards on 29 carries and completed 12-of-21 passes for 176 yards.
“All year, it’s been, ‘We’ve got to get better,’” Culig said. “This is maybe the second time this year that I feel like we played a complete game. Now it’s on to the playoffs and back to the mindset that we’ve still got to get better.”
Bishop Kelly and Skyview have both clinched home playoff games in the first round. Seedings will be based on MaxPreps rankings, which will be finalized on Sunday.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN 35, KUNA 6
The Grizzlies (6-3) spotted Kuna a 6-0 lead in the first quarter but dominated the rest of the game, especially the second half, to clinch a playoff spot for the 12th straight year.
Zack Schledewitz rushed 15 times for 110 yards and a touchdown to lead a ground game that churned out 237 yards. Taeshaun Reece had 58 yards and two TDs, and Trey Broadbent ran for 49 yards and a score.
QB Collin Chapman threw for just 87 yards for Rocky, but a big chunk of that came on a 42-yard TD pass to Kade Benedick for the team’s first score.
The Grizzlies’ defense held the Kavemen (4-5) to 118 yards of total offense.
MOUNTAIN VIEW 37, CAPITAL 21
It will be 11 straight years in the playoffs for the Mavericks (6-3), who never trailed on their way to beating the Eagles (2-7).
QB Henry Nelson threw for 205 yards and three touchdowns for Mountain View, and Valentin Gomez-Ricks (123 yards) and Dennis Williams (94) combined to lead a potent rushing attack.
Nelson gave up a pick-six interception to Capital’s Keaton Larsen that cut the Mavericks’ lead to 17-14 in the third quarter, but Mountain View responded with back-to-back touchdown drives that put the game away.
Jaluck Chinabalire rushed for 84 yards and Oliver Edmunds had six catches for 74 yards to lead the Eagles’ offense.
BOISE 22, CENTENNIAL 15
The Brave (7-2) narrowly avoided an upset to clinch their first playoff berth since 2002. Boise’s seven victories also marks their most wins in a single season since 1992.
Boise trailed 9-2 at halftime before Trevor Schoolfield hit Will Gebert for a long touchdown pass to tie the game. Alex Hess added a 1-yard touchdown to give Boise the lead, and Cooper Smith iced a one-point game with a 1-yard touchdown run with 90 seconds left.
Individual stats for Boise or Centennial (1-8) were not reported.
OWYHEE 36, TIMBERLINE 20
The Storm (7-2) clinched a playoff berth and ended the season for Timberline (1-8). Stats were not reported.
MIDDLETON 28, BORAH 19
The Vikings (7-2) clinched a postseason spot by darting to a 21-6 lead and holding off the Lions (4-5), who will need an at-large berth to make the playoffs.
Cole Holman rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries for Middleton, and Patxi Franks had 88 yards on 15 carries.
Borah’s Tanner Sittser had 10 catches for 106 yards to lead the Lions’ offense.
HOMEDALE 34, MCCALL-DONNELLY 7
The undefeated Trojans roll into the 3A playoffs with a first-round bye after a convincing win.
Homedale (9-0, 5-0) clinched its sixth straight Snake River Valley title by scoring touchdowns on its first three possessions and clamping down defensively on the Vandals (6-2, 3-2).
Quarterback Dillon Fine and running back Andrew Marston were a dynamic duo for the Trojans. Fine threw for 182 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed for 104 yards and a TD on just seven carries. Marston rushed for 140 yards and a score on 25 carries. Rafael Cuenca had seven receptions for 103 yards.
Homedale held McCall-Donnelly quarterback Maddox Arnold to 5-for-19 passing for just 51 yards. The Vandals clinched a playoff spot despite the loss.
WEISER 49, FRUITLAND 18
The Wolverines (8-1, 4-1 SRV) clinched an automatic playoff berth with a blowout win over the Grizzlies (2-7, 2-3).
Weiser scored touchdowns seven of the eight times it got the ball, including on a 90-yard kickoff return by Ryndon Olsen. That score started a run of four straight Wolverine TDs after Fruitland had matched Weiser by scoring on its first two drives.
The Wolverines rushed for 230 yards, with Kaleb Grove going for 79, Jayden Walker 74 and Brock Spencer 59 to lead the way.
PAYETTE 54, PARMA 32
Darrien Pecunia went 11-for-19 for 111 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran for another 99 yards and two more TDs to lead the Pirates to a shootout victory.
Tyler Feeley added 128 rushing yards and two scores for Payette (2-7, 1-4 3A SRV), and Josh Rodriguez returned a touchdown 90 yards for a touchdown.
This story was originally published October 20, 2023 at 6:00 PM.
