Big Time Games Around the Gem State!

After last week saw a 4A powerhouse took out a 5A big name, Meridian HS took down Mountain View and a one win team last year starting off with two big wins in Owyhee. Who is going to be the big game of the week as we end the month of August and begin September football. Here is some of the top games to look out for this week all around the Gem State:   Owyhee v Boise   Owyhee and Boise are both two teams that had major struggles last year when it came to winning games but this year is a different story. Both teams are coming into this game at 2-0 and will be looking to continue their wining ways. Last year this game was a barn burner who saw Boise run back a kick off in order to take the lead against Owyhee only for a penalty negate the touchdown and give the Storm their first win of the season. The two squads then suited but to finish out the season in the district crossover week that saw the Braves come out with a 28-3 victory. This season the Storm have leaned heavily on the run game with Tim Jamerson leading the rushing attack. [player_tooltip player_id='336936' first='Matt' last='Irwin'] continues to improve week in and week out for the Storm as the man in charge of the offense. Where as the Braves have leaned on quarterback Cooper Smith and outside playmaker Caleb Allen to be a threat every play. This should be one of the top match ups all week in the Gem State.   Sandpoint v Coeur d'Alene   Sandpoint dropped their first game of the season to a Alta team from Utah but look for them to rebound this week against a tough opponent in Coeur d'Alene. Led by senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='403758' first='Parker' last='Pettit'] who is what makes Sandpoint go is going to look to have an even bigger impact this week against a Couer d'Alene team that lost a tough game against Rocky Mountain. Sandpoint is defintely one of the teams to watch out for in the 4A ranks as the state runners up have a lot to prove going into this season especially against a 5a program. The Viking are trying to get back into the win column after starting the season off with two of the best teams in the state in loses to Rigby and Rocky Mountain. One being the state champs from last year and the other being the favorite going into this year to win a state championship. The Vikings would like to be more consistent on offense and limit big plays in the kicking game that they gave up last week against Rocky Mountain.   Kuna v Eagle   Eagle got a week off after their opening game loss to Meridian and are going to be hungry against a talent squad from Kuna. Starting off the season against Meridian is no small feat and with an offense that was more run centric focusing on the legs of quarterback Jake Longson and [player_tooltip player_id='336865' first='Deegan' last='Martinho']. Eagle still has one of the top talents in the state in [player_tooltip player_id='336840' first='Ian' last='Duarte'] who will look to be more of an impact this week than against Meridian. On the defensive side of the ball Eagle will lean on [player_tooltip player_id='336842' first='Carter' last='Davis'] and [player_tooltip player_id='336884' first='Kall' last='Renner'] to stop the high flying Kavemen. Kuna has been off to a hot start this season after big wins against Centennial and Skyview. Using the strong arm of Cole Luekenga and the outstanding weapon on the outside that is [player_tooltip player_id='336943' first='Luke' last='Snarr'] the Kavemen's offense is rolling right now. On the other side of the ball Kuna will look to contain an Eagle team that can be really explosive.   Gooding v Homedale   One of the top 3A programs in the state Gooding is looking to continue its start to 2022 with a win over a talented and number one in the 3A rankings Homedale. In a battle of two of the top programs it will be a slug fest on who comes out on top. Gooding was led by Jakobe Mullins in game one who threw for three touchdowns in a win against Jerome. Gooding will look to be strong on defense again after holding Jerome to just seven points. Homedale on the other hand bring back [player_tooltip player_id='336883' first='Mason' last='Strong'] and Jaxon Dines who lead them on the offensive side of the ball. Chase Cooper played exceptional in game one and led his team in tackles and will look to do the same this week against Gooding.   Blackfoot v Madison   Blackfoot was able to come out on top in a big way against an Emmett team that can really score. Leaning on [player_tooltip player_id='336847' first='Javonte' last='King'], Jaxon Grimmett and Austin Ramirez the Broncos are dangerous at every level of offense. They are just as dangerous on defense and create havoc everywhere on the field. Madison was able to rebound after losing to Owyhee in the first game of the season. Madison goes as quarterback Ben Dredge goes. Madison was dominant on defense against Toole (Utah) and was able to hold their opponent to only 14 points. This is another 4A vs 5A matchup and should be a good one.   Rocky Mountain v Mountain View   Mountain View playing Rocky Mountain is one of the marquee matchups every year. This year is no different as the Battle of the Mountain happens again. Mountain View will look to keep the Axe and get back to its winning ways after a hard fought loss to Meridian in game one. Defensively the Mavericks were led by their core of linebackers Max Maile, [player_tooltip player_id='340765' first='Ivan' last='Perkins'], and [player_tooltip player_id='396016' first='Mason' last='Chiles'] but keep an eye out for starting safety Wyatt Farnsworth who was all over the field against Meridian. The Mavericks will look to be better on offense against Rocky this week especially fielding one of the states top signal callers in [player_tooltip player_id='336850' first='Dawson' last='Wahl']. The Grizzlies on the other hand have been dominant in both of their wins, with a defense that is exceptionally fast led by [player_tooltip player_id='336857' first='Troy' last='Wilkey'] and [player_tooltip player_id='336844' first='Gage' last='Tanner'] they are hard to score against plain and simple. On offense [player_tooltip player_id='336869' first='Tegan' last='Sweaney'] has been leading them but when Art Williams comes over from the defensive side of the ball he make a huge impact in the running game. This is going to be a matchup that will not only be tops this week but maybe tops all year.   Highland v Skyline   The 5A state runner up against the 4A state champs sounds like one of the best games of the year. Highland is full of talent all over the field with some of the top defensive players in the state in Cole George and Mason Fulmer. Remember this name [player_tooltip player_id='239243' first='Kai' last='Callen'] who came up big against the Rams first game opponent. The sophomore is going to be one to watch in the next three years. On offense the Rams are led by Drew Hymas who is just starting to settle in but has good talent at the quarterback position. Skyline has the states top player in [player_tooltip player_id='336730' first='Kenyon' last='Sadiq'] who took his first touch of the season to the house. Along with [player_tooltip player_id='349791' first='Caden' last='Taggart'], Lachlan Haacke, and Ian Galbreaith the fellas from Skyline are dangerous and should be hard to stop every game this season. This is going to be one heck of a game between tradition and the new power in the state.

After last week saw a 4A powerhouse took out a 5A big name, Meridian HS took down Mountain View and a one win team last year starting off with two big wins in Owyhee. Who is going to be the big game of the week as we end the month of August and begin September football. Here is some of the top games to look out for this week all around the Gem State: