Survival of the fittest
Oct. 27—The time for scratching and clawing is done. Now, it's simple; you either win and advance or lose and your season is done in Idaho high school football.
There are four local teams opening up state tournament play this weekend, with Kendrick and Kamiah each earning byes to quarterfinal-round action next weekend.
Here is at this weekend's games:
Middleton at Lewiston
The Bengals (7-2) will face Middleton at 7 p.m. Friday at Bengal Field in the first round of the Class 5A tournament.
The Vikings, who are in their first year in the classification, finished third in the Southern Idaho Conference Foothills Division at 6-3 overall and 3-3 in league play. Middleton has been balanced, averaging 28 points a game and allowing 22 on defense.
The Vikings went on a tear, winning four consecutive games, each by at least three scores. But the streak came to an end Oct. 21 when they lost 22-21 to Kuna.
Middleton likes to throw the ball. Quarterback Dekker Hagler finished the season with 13 touchdown passes. His favorite receiver, Tate Johansen, leads the state in receiving yards at 105 per game.
Offensively, the Bengals average a classification-high 45 points per game. The biggest threat for Lewiston is junior running back Jackson Lathen, who has racked up 1,223 all-purpose yards and 16 total touchdowns.
"He's a special kid," Lewiston coach Matt Pancheri said. "One thing you can expect from him in every game is to have a play where he goes more than 60 yards."
Getting the ball to Lathen in space has been junior Drew Hottinger, who's peaking at the right time. The quarterback has completed 61 percent of his passes for 1,439 yards, adding 19 scores. He's also second on the team in rushing with 417 yards, scoring eight more times.
"You don't see a lot of kids that are that tall and that tough," Pancheri said. "He's a humble kid that wants to learn. He's also got deceptive speed for a kid with his size."
In order for Middleton to win, it'll have to slow down the Bengals' go-go offense. If the game turns into a shootout, it favors Lewiston. In contests that have been decided by two touchdowns or fewer, the Bengals are 2-2, losing their season opener against Layton (Utah) and their first Inland Empire League game against Post Falls but beating Sandpoint and Lake City.
Each time the Vikings have broken 40 points, it's been in a blowout. If Middleton can keep Lewiston out of the end zone, the scale will tip in its favor.
Lapwai at Butte County
The Wildcats got healthy and saved their best for the month of October.
During spooky season, Lapwai arguably has been the scariest team in the Whitepine League Division I as of late. The electric offense of Lapwai earned it the third auto bid out of the league.
The Wildcats (5-3) open up Idaho Class 1A Division I state football tournament action at noon Pacific on Saturday against Butte County (5-2) in Arco, Idaho.
The Pirates also went on a four-game win streak midway through their season, averaging 61 points in that span. They fell 32-26 to Grace in their final game of the regular season.
In order for Lapwai to come out victorious, the offense can't change. Quarterback Terrell Ellenwood-Jones has notched 44 scores for the Wildcats and has been the lifeblood of the offense. He's the type of player you can't stop, you just have to contain him.
"He was a basketball kid turned into a football kid," Lapwai coach Josh Leighton said. "He's got a high football IQ, which allows him to make the plays that he does on the field."
However, if there was a defense that could stop Ellenwood-Jones, its Butte County, which allowed just 26 points per outing.
"They're an interesting team," Leighton said. "It's hard when you look at a team on film that you don't normally play during the season. We're going to have to develop once the game gets going."
Clearwater Valley at Raft River
Clearwater Valley finished second in the Whitepine League Division I, winning five out of its final six regular-season games to earn a playoff berth.
"The boys have battled hard," Clearwater Valley coach Allen Hutchens said. "We're one of the hottest teams in the state."
The Rams (7-2) will face Raft River (5-3) at noon Pacific on Saturday in Malta, Idaho, to open the state tournament. Clearwater Valley has been on a redemption tour all year, and this game is no different. The Rams fell 48-0 to the Trojans on Aug. 21, 2021.
"These seniors really want to put Clearwater Valley football on the map," Hutchens said. "They've grown a lot through adversity, and we want to prove to everyone in the state that we're for real."
Clearwater Valley has been able to win games through its commitment to the run game. Its bellcow has been junior Bass Myers.
"He's a force but has breakaway speed," Hutchens said. "He also plays defensive end and comes off the edge extremely hard."
Garden Valley at Lewis County
Even without returning all-league quarterback Ty Hambly, who suffered a season-ending knee injury against Council on Sept. 9, the Eagles still found ways to win.
Lewis County (6-2) will face Garden Valley (7-1) at 7 p.m. Friday at Highland High School in Craigmont in the first round of the Idaho Class 1A Division II state tournament.
It seemed as if the Eagles' season might have been toast without Hambly, but coach Monty Moddrell and his players rose to the occasion and strung together three consecutive wins to make it in.
"We have preached a team-first mentality from the beginning," Moddrell said. "We've been a good football team the whole year."
Their opponent in the opening round, the Wolverines, is a dominant defensive team. They allow just 13 points per game, which ranks in the top five in the classification.
Offensively, Garden Valley isn't too bad either, scoring 56 points per game, the best in the Long Pin Conference.
"We're going to have to play near perfect to beat these guys," Moddrell said. "They run a lot of scary things up front that we have to be prepared for."
Pixley may be contacted at (208) 848-2290, tpixley@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @TreebTalks.
