Classic SRV battle set to unfold
Grizzlies, Pirates will take the field Friday
By Scott Ford
Argus Observer
scottf@argusobserver.com
Thursday, October 15, 2009 11:22 AM PDT
Fruitland — Friday night, all eyes will be focused on the Fruitland/Payette football game as this matchup has huge playoff implications. Fruitland has yet to lose a Snake River Valley Conference game, and Payette has lost only one — a 34-28 overtime classic to Weiser.
With three teams making the postseason dance, Fruitland, Payette and Weiser are juggling for that top seed heading into the district tournament.
If the Grizzlies should win Friday, both Fruitland and Weiser will be undefeated when they meet in their final game of the season. If Payette wins and then goes on to beat Homedale in the season finale, the Pirates will become Grizzly cheerleaders in hopes Fruitland will knock off the Wolverines, thus forcing a tie-breaker to determine the SRV champion.
The Pirates come into this week’s match-up against Fruitland with a week’s rest and a week’s worth of preparation.
“This is a huge game for us,” Payette head coach Troy Gleave said. “There is no reason to downplay this game. It has everything we are looking for. We still have a chance to win the conference.”
Gleave said having an extra week to prepare for this game was a huge plus and getting his team to practice hard has not been an issue.
“There has been a growing intensity every day,” Gleave said. “We have not had to motivate these kids one bit.”
Gleave said he feels the Pirates have the edge over Fruitland in experience, but both teams match up for size and speed.
Fruitland coach Bruce Schlaich said his team is approaching this game just like it has every other opponent it has faced this year — one at a time.
“They (Payette) are one of the teams we are going to have to beat if we want to win the SRV,” Schlaich said. “It’s a huge game for us. These last two games of the season will tell us what the entire season has been all about.”
Fruitland began the season with a number of new faces on both sides of the ball, and as Schlaich said then, his team would be a work in progress.
That progress has been evident as the Grizzlies have been improving week by week and are coming off a huge 40-6 win over a pass-happy Homedale team.
Friday’s matchup should be one to remember. Can Payette get over that hump and become a dominant force in the SRV? Or will tradition prevail?
Kickoff for this showdown is slated at 7 p.m. Friday in Fruitland.
stateliner wrote on Oct 16, 2009 7:43 AM: