Tickets punched, how far will they travel?
Thursday, October 29, 2009 2:23 PM PDT
Five area Idaho football teams have had their playoff tickets punched, with three going into battle Friday. In the 3A ranks, Fruitland, Weiser and Payette move on, and, in the 2A class, Parma and New Plymouth keeps their pads for another two weeks — they both picked up byes in the first round of play.
The question is, How far will each team make it this year?
In the 3A state tournament, Weiser drew a tough first-round opponent in Buhl (8-0), the No. 1 seed from District 4. On average the Indians are scoring 47.3 points per game and only allowing 6.6 points. Whereas, the Wolverines are scoring 24.1 a contest and have given up 19.7 points per game this season. Talk about punishment for not winning the Snake River Valley Conference outright.
A week ago, the Wolverines were one game away from hosting throughout the state tournament until the championship game and playing a No. 3 seed. Tough break, but I guess that just shows how tough the SRV is.
Sorry, Weiser, but I like Buhl in this matchup — Indians 44, Wolverines 20.
Payette will also hit the road in its first-round match up, as it will take on a scrappy Kimberly squad that finished as the No. 2 seed from District 4 with a 5-3 mark. This season the Bulldogs are scoring 25.7 points per game and their defense has given up 23 points, for a differential of only plus 2. The Pirates have a better differential at plus 11, with 33.6 points per game scored and 22 points per contest given up. Given the size of the Pirates defensive line, and the amount of experience they boast on both sides of the ball, I have to stay on the Payette ship a little longer — Pirates 35, Bulldogs 21.
Fruitland proved to all the SRV schools that despite graduating a ton of seniors, tradition breeds winning, fight and attitude — Three elements needed for success on the gridiron. Most pundits, including myself, wrote the Grizzlies off this year, saying they lost too much talent to compete. Well, the Fruitland coaching staff has my attention now. What a job they have done with this young team. The Griz will have the luxury of hosting all of their playoff games until the championship game.
Fruitland will host Wendell in the opening round of the tournament. The Trojans come in with a 3-5 overall mark and the No. 3 seed from District 4.
The Grizzlies should have no problem with this cupcake — Grizzlies 60, Trojans 0.
