A playoff atmosphere
Weiser hosts Fruitland in championship tilt; Payette only needs a win to secure postseason
By Scott Ford
Argus Observer
scottf@argusobserver.com
Thursday, October 22, 2009 11:15 AM PDT
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| Argus Observer file photo
The Fruitland Grizzly defense will have to be at the top of its game Friday as it battles the Snake River Valley Conference front-runners the Weiser Wolverines. Fruitland needs to win the game by 10 or more points to claim the SRV title. A win for Weiser, and they are the conference champs. Fruitland’s Josh Villalpando (88), along with the rest of the Girizzlies defense, will be challanged by an explosive Weiser offense. |
Weiser—The entire season has come down to a couple of games in the Snake River Valley Conference.
Currently, Weiser leads the conference with a 3-0 mark, while Payette and Fruitland trail by one game at 2-1.
Friday, Weiser and Fruitland will square off in a classic battle, while Payette will host Homedale.
Both of these matchups have equal importance, and these games will weed out the champion and the sort out who will be the No. 2 and No.3 seeds.
Who ever comes out on top of the SRV will have the luxury of hosting every playoff game up until the championship game.
Here is the scenarios:
If the Wolverines win they are the SRV champs. Fruitland can claim the title with a win by 10 points or more, and Payette claims the championship with a win over Homedale and a Fruitland win by less than nine points.
Fruitland at Weiser
In Weiser, the Grizzlies and Wolverines will renew an age-old rivalry when these two prep gridiron warriors hit the field Friday with everything on the line.
Weiser has the upper hand going into the game — hosting the game and currently leading the SRV. However, Fruitland head coach Bruce Schlaich said Friday’s game was going to be huge no matter the outcome of last week’s battle against Payette.
“Our situation has not changed,” Schlaich said. “We still have to win this game. We will rebound, and we will play hard Friday night.”
The Grizzlies will take on a solid defensive team in Weiser, and Schlaich said, through the years, Weiser has always played his team tough.
Fruitland will have to take care of the football if it hopes to come away with a win Friday.
“We cannot turn the ball over like we did against Payette,” Schlaich said. “I don’t know of any game a team can win when you turn the ball over five times.”
Schlaich and the Grizzlies understand the matchup against Weiser is an important game with a huge reward benefiting the eventual winner of the SRV.
“It is going to be one of those games where a 5-yard gain will be a huge success,” Schlaich said. “We will have to work the ball down the field and we can not make a whole lot of mistakes if we want to win.”
The matchup between Fruitland and Weiser is one for the books. Both teams travel well, and the Grizzlies know the atmosphere will be electric Friday night.
“It’s one of those games where you can throw the records out because both teams are going to come out and play their hardest,” Schlaich said.
Homedale at Payette
In Payette, all the Pirates need to do is win, and they secure a postseason spot. But pulling down the No. 1 seed will not be entirely up to Payette.
The Pirates will need Fruitland to defeat Weiser but only by a set number of points to gain the top spot.
“For us it is real simple. The playoffs begin for us on Friday,” Payette head coach Troy Gleave said. “Our next loss ends our season.”
Gleave said the effects of beating Fruitland last week were still evident with his team on Monday, but he added the team has settled in and had a good practice on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Against Homedale, a team that likes to throw the football, Gleave said the key will be to get good pressure on the Trojan quarterback and for his secondary to force the Homedale receivers to alter their routes.
On offense, Gleave said his team needs to create a good balance of running and passing.
“They (Homedale) have shown a lot of different looks defensively,” Gleave said. “So we are trying to keep the game plan as simple as possible going into the game.”
Payette will have the home field advantage and the added emotion of senior night as the Pirates battle for a spot in the playoffs.
Prep poll |
Class 3A
1. Shelley (9) 7-0 44
2. Marsh Valley (1) 7-0 34
3. Buhl 7-0 28
4. Timberlake 6-1 19
5. Weiser 5-2 6
Others receiving votes: Snake River 2, South Fremont 1, Payette 1.
