Separation between haves, have-nots begin

Sep. 1—With the first week in the books, it's time for high school football teams to regroup with Week 2 games starting today.

For some teams, it's time to further cement why this is their year. For others, they'll begin to fade into obscurity.

Here's a look at the week ahead (all games start at 7 p.m. Pacific on Friday):

Capital at Lewiston

The Bengals struggled during the first three quarters last week against Layton (Utah), but managed to find their footing in the fourth, scoring 22 of their 28 points in a 41-28 defeat at the Rumble in Rexburg.

"Our running game was about equal, and (Drew) Hottinger got control of the offense," Lewiston coach Matt Pancheri said. "He came out and looked like an expierenced varsity quarterback."

The opposition in the home opener at Bengal Field is Capital (0-2), which has only scored one touchdown in its first two games.

The Eagles are led by a new coach, Jay Bohner, who took over for 18-year coaching veteran Todd Simis. They also lost 5A Idaho player of the year and first-team all state quarterback Max Clark.

It might be a favorable matchup for the Lewiston defense.

"We had our eyes in the wrong place in the first half," Pancheri said. "It took us a while to match their physicality. We were finally able to get up to speed but it took us a while to get there."

Moscow at Clarkston

Losing big to a team that's two classifications smaller was a tough pill to swallow for first-year Moscow coach Rob Bafus in his debut.

The Bears were soundly beaten 50-12 a week ago at home to Kellogg. Things won't let up this week as Moscow has a date at Adams Field with Clarkston.

After falling behind 28-0 in the first half, the Bears turned to sophomore Noah Velasco to play quarterback in the second half and he finished 18-of-34 passing for 168 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.

Velasco will get the start under center for this one.

For the Bantams, who will be playing their first game, they are bringing back a slew of talent including quarterback Carter Steinwand. Two Lapwai transfers who should make an immediate impact are defensive lineman Sage Lone Bear and slot receiver Mason Brown.

"We're really excited to see what we have on game day," Clarkston coach Brycen Bye said. "We were so close to reaching the state tournament last year and we're bringing back almost the same exact team."

Brown and Steinwand put in extra time during the summer to build their chemistry.

"After weights in the summer they'd spend an hour together running routes," Bye said. "They're really comfortable together."

This could be a revenge game for the Bantams, who were up 21-7 at halftime of last year's game before falling 40-33.

Kendrick at Oakley

This should be the game of the week, with the defending Idaho Class 1A Division II champion Tigers facing off against the defending 1A DI champion Hornets.

The two teams are coming off dominating victories in Week 1 at the 8-Man Classic in Middleton, with Kendrick shutting out Notus 36-0 and Oakley taking down Prairie 56-0

Last year, the Hornets won with ease 52-0.

"This is not the same team Oakley played last year," Tigers coach Zane Hobart said. "We are 10 times better than where we were at last year."

Winning the state title has given Kendrick players and the coaching staff confidence to be able to compete against anyone.

"We talked with the kids and I don't know how many of them wanted to play Oakley last year," Hobart said. "That was was a physically gifted team and not a very easy out. Now, we're very excited to go and play a very good football team."

Raft River at Kamiah

Last week, the Kubs got a leg up on the competitors in Whitepine League Division I play with a dominant effort running the ball in a 34-28 win at Lapwai.

However, if Kamiah wants to make a statement, it'll have to have a good showing against Class 1A DI powerhouse Raft River.

The Trojans are led by senior quarterback Tate Whitaker and running back Kole Spencer.

Raft River is replacing all three members of their offensive line, which is good news for Kamiah's pass rush, who sacked Lapwai quarterback Terrell Ellenwood-Jones three times.

Lapwai at Timberline

The Wildcats will be tasked with another scrappy team in Timberline of Weippe of the 1A DII ranks.

"They're not bad, they do what they do," Lapwai coach Josh Leighton said. "They scored a lot of points and ran the ball well against a Division I team."

The Division I team in question was Genesee. The Spartans got five touchdowns from running back Rylan West and looked impressive despite falling 52-44.

Stopping the run was a struggle for Lapwai a week ago, and running the ball against Timberline might be a bit of an issue without lead back Herschel Williamson, who will serve a one-game suspension after being ejected against the Kubs.

However, the Wildcats do have several capable players — including Ahlius Yearout, Joseph Whitefoot and Dillon White — that can take up the load.

Pixley may be contacted at (208) 848-2290, tpixley@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @TreebTalks.