Saturday's Main Event(s)
Nov. 10—Just like that, we're down to three.
Kamiah, Kendrick and Pomeroy will represent the area as the final three teams competing for a state football championship. All games will be played Saturday with no team playing on their "home" field.
Here's what to watch:
Idaho Class 1A Division IKamiah vs. Grace
The 1982 Miami Dolphins, who won one of the NFL's versions of the Mud Bowl, would be proud of the Kubs' 16-12 victory in an Idaho Class 1A Division I quarterfinal-round game Friday against Butte County.
Kamiah (9-1) fought through muck, grime and horrific field conditions in order to advance to its semifinal-round game against Grace (8-1) at 10 a.m. Pacific at Holt Arena in Pocatello.
While the field conditions were less than ideal against the Pirates, at least it still was a home game. This week, The Kubs will have to take an eight-hour bus ride to battle the Grizzlies.
"We're going to take off pretty early on Friday morning and get a practice in at Middleton High School," Kamiah coach Nels Kludt said. "This is so the kids get used to playing on turf. Then we'll watch some games at the arena and get ready for our game the next day."
Kamiah traveled south earlier this season, falling 46-20 on Sept. 3 at Raft River.
Grace, who finished on top of the High Desert Conference, defeated the Trojans 56-20 a week ago.
"They also played Butte County, so we have similar opponents," Kludt said. "They're a very athletic team with untraditional size. They're more long and lengthy than overall big I would say."
The Grizzlies average 40 points per outing and allows 14 points. The Kubs churn out 42 points and allow 17 points.
Statistically, the two teams are as even as it gets. But their playing style is vastly different.
Kamiah is a traditional ground-and-pound, between the tackles type team. The Grizzlies like to use more outside zone and option runs to get to the boundary.
"We have similar philosophies but we're different in how we get it done," Kludt said.
Idaho Class 1A Division IICastleford vs. Kendrick
There's not many adjectives remaining in the vocabulary in terms of what the Tigers (10-0) have done this season.
However, business will start to pick up for the defending Class 1A Division II state champions as they play Castleford (9-1) at 4 p.m. Saturday at Bengal Field in a semifinal-round game.
The Wolves finished second in the Sawtooth Conference behind Dietrich, which also is playing in the semifinal round at 7:15 p.m. Friday against Garden Valley at Holt Arena.
While the Tigers have scored a remarkable 418 unanswered points since Sept. 9, it's been the defense that's made it possible. Kendrick allows 5.4 points per outing, the lowest among all Idaho teams. Castleford also has a stout defense that gives up just 6.60 points per game.
"They have a lot of speed on the edge and have a really solid middle linebacker," Kendrick coach Zane Hobart said. "They don't let a lot of things get outside of them."
The Wolves' defense has allowed the offense to win low-scoring affairs, as it musters just 38 points per game.
"(The defense has) to do their job," Hobart said. "What we do defensively isn't rocket science, so we try to instill in the kids that if they do their job, we'll win."
Washington Class 1BPomeroy at Wellpinit
The Pirates earned a spot in the Washington Class 1B state tournament after a 50-6 win Friday against St. John-Endicott/LaCrosse.
Pomeroy (8-2) plays at Wellpinit at 1 p.m. Saturday in the opening round of the tournament.
The Redskins (7-2) finished the regular season ranked third in the RPI rankings and second in the Northeast 1B League behind top-seeded Odessa.
From mid-September to mid-October, the Pirates outscored their opponents 346-8. The streak came to an end after a 54-20 loss to Liberty Christian, who is the third seed in the tournament. Pomeroy also fell 54-22 on Sept. 9 to sixth-seeded DeSales.
The Pirates calling card this year has been defense. In winning efforts, they've only allowed eight points. Against Wellpinit, they're going to have to stop the Redskins' playmakers.
"They have a lot of good weapons," Pomeroy coach Kyle Kimble said. "Their running backs are as good at running the ball as any we've seen all year. Their line is also pretty big as well."
Offensively, much of the workload is on senior quarterback Trevin Kimble. Trevin Kimble, Kyle's son, does a lot with his legs and is the Pirates' leading rusher. However, he does have the ability to pass the ball. He'll also have tight end Ollie Severs back after missing the past five weeks with an injury.
"He's been hungry to get back," Kimble said. "He's a tremendous blocker and it's really going to help having a big physical kid to throw the ball to."
Pixley may be contacted at (208) 848-2290, tpixley@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @TreebTalks.
