Prep football recap: Eagle fends off Meridian. Rocky topples Utah power. BK rolls
The Eagle High football team scored six touchdowns Friday night.
None received a bigger celebration than Bowen Blackburn’s.
The junior backup running back darted 68 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter of the Mustangs’ 39-14, season-opening win over Meridian.
Blackburn, who has played on the defensive side of the ball most of his life, was asked to take an offensive role this spring to spell two-time All-Idaho first-team running back Noah Burnham.
So when Blackburn went to the house on second-and-4 from Eagle’s own 32-yard line, the entire Mustangs sideline ran right along with him, celebrating like crazy.
“Bowen’s a dude. When he took off, that’s the dream that you want somebody to have,” Eagle quarterback Austin Ramsey said. “He’s the greatest human being. He’s always in the gym, working hard. He’s always standing up for his brothers. He’s good in the school. People know him, that he’s going to be a great person. He’s going to do a good thing. He spreads positivity.
“So seeing him succeed and having fun doing the thing he loves to do was just so uplifting for all of us.”
Blackburn finished with 103 rushing yards and one touchdown on seven carries while also adding two tackles.
“It was exhausting, but it was crazy,” Blackburn said of his touchdown run. “It was awesome to have everyone run toward me after.”
Eagle entered Friday’s opener ranked No. 3 in the state and No. 2 in the Idaho Statesman’s 6A Southern Idaho Conference preseason coaches’ poll. But it took the Mustangs a half to find their footing.
Meridian scored a pair of first-half touchdowns on deep passes to senior receiver Daysen Boltz from junior quarterback Cash Cahill. The Warriors scored on an 86-yard bomb on just the third play of the game, and Boltz and Cahill connected again just before halftime on a 47-yarder to pull within 19-14 at the break.
“Anytime you’re playing in this conference, in this league, it’s tough each week,” Eagle coach James Cluphf said. “At Eagle there’s a lot of wins that have happened, and I think a lot of people expect it just to happen, but each win’s hard work. Our kids earned it, and we’re happy to come away with a win in the SIC.”
The Eagle defense pitched a shutout in the second half and limited Meridian to just 4 rushing yards all night. Senior linebacker Anthony Butler amassed a team-leading 10 tackles.
Ramsey finished 20-for-27 passing for 184 yards with touchdown passes to Cooper Murphy, Scott Heaton and Burnham. Ramsey also ran for an 11-yard score in the second quarter.
Burnham totaled 70 yards and a TD on the ground and also had four catches for 37 yards.
Meridian did the majority of its damage through the air, as Cahill went 21-for-33 passing for 258 yards. Boltz hauled in eight catches for 184 yards.
“One thing we always know about Meridian is they’re a tough, gritty team,” Cluphf said. “That’s a tough community, and those kids work hard. We know that about them, and there’s no love lost there between the schools.
“We know how they feel about us, and so they’re gonna battle anytime it’s a game between Eagle and Meridian. We’ve seen each other six times the last four years now, so we’re familiar with each other. The kids really play hard against them.”
ROCKY MOUNTAIN 39, OREM (UTAH) 37
In a matchup filled with FBS commits, the Grizzlies outlasted the preseason favorite in Utah’s second-largest classification for a season-opening win.
Rocky Mountain’s defense made a late stop to force an Orem field goal, and the Tigers missed a 35-yard kick as time expired.
Quarterback Kaelan Custer scored a pair of rushing TDs for Rocky Mountain and finished with 74 yards on 13 carries. Custer was also 8-for-13 through the air for 109 yards and one score.
Senior Rasean Jones added a 93-yard kick return in the first quarter, and junior running back Oakley Baxter scored on a 4-yard run with 8:44 remaining.
Orem followed with a pair of touchdowns to cut the margin to two, but couldn’t complete the comeback.
OWYHEE 42, CENTENNIAL 6
The Storm cruised to a dominant victory over the Patriots in the season opener for both teams.
Junior quarterback Madden Henderson paced Centennial, going 5-for-14 passing for 110 yards and a TD. Junior receiver Charlie Farris totaled 95 yards and a touchdown on two receptions.
Stats were not reported for Owyhee.
BISHOP KELLY 50, BONNEVILLE 10
The Knights took a 50-0 lead into halftime, triggering the running-clock mercy rule in the third quarter of their season opener at home.
Quarterback Ben Avella went 11-for-14 for 266 yards and six TDs, and ran for another 30 yards. Dom Wolthius stood as his top receiver, finishing with 82 yards and two TDs.
Ryan Arellano also ran for 55 yards and added 106 yards receiving as five different players reached the end zone. The Knights finished the evening with 400 total yards, including 268 through the air.
Bonneville could only muster 150 yards. Aden Mora led the Bees with 11 carries and 98 yards, and Cooper Stephenson added their only touchdown with a 2-yard run in the third quarter.
SKYVIEW 24, POCATELLO 14
The Hawks earned their first victory of the season on the road.
Quarterback Trevan Plew finished 8-for-15 passing for 70 yards, including a 5-yard TD pass to Kimball Robinson for the first score of the game. Plew also reached the end zone on a 2-yard keeper in the third quarter.
Derek Slemmer and Lukas Henslee each added rushing touchdowns for the Hawks, who totaled 345 yards of offense on 71 plays while holding the Thunder to 233 yards on 43 plays.
Tim Buchinsky led the defense with 13 tackles, including two for loss, and Zaden Poudrier grabbed three interceptions.
TWIN FALLS 37, VALLIVUE 0
The fourth-ranked Falcons stumbled in their season opener at Twin Falls.
The Bruins held Vallivue to just 106 total yards, limiting star running back Onix Carson to 32 yards on 18 carries — an average of less than 2 yards per touch.
Vallivue committed three turnovers in the loss — two fumbles and an interception — and completed just three passes for 17 yards.
FRUITLAND 28, EMMETT 20
The Grizzlies (4A) earned their second win of the season, taking down the Huskies (5A).
Quarterback Titus Vidlak picked up where he left off last week, completing 15-of-20 passing for 214 yards and one touchdown. He also added 33 yards and a score on 10 carries.
Joel Philpot contributed a 12-yard touchdown run and connected with Vidlak on a passing TD.
Spencer Tracy added some special teams magic with a 91-yard kick return for a score.
Stats were not reported for Emmett.
HORSESHOE BEND 36, WILDER 24
The Mustangs started fall camp unsure if they’d have enough players to field a team. Yet Lakota Innes ran for four touchdowns, and Austin Fisher snared three interceptions to lead Horseshoe Bend to a victory in their season opener.
Stats were not reported for Wilder.
GARDEN VALLEY 34, NOTUS 14
After trailing by two points at halftime, the Wolverines closed the game with 22 unanswered points and pitched a second-half shutout for the nonconference victory.
Garden Valley’s Tyler Rowland had a rushing and receiving touchdown in the comeback, and Marshall Coley led the Wolverines with 123 yards and two TDs on 13 carries.
Mark Lungu paced Notus with 122 rushing yards and a TD on 20 carries, and Anthony Guevera added 56 more yards on the ground and another score.
This story was originally published August 29, 2025 at 6:30 PM.
