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Previous 3-Star Columns:
Week One
Week Two
Week Three
Week Four
Week Five
Week Six
Week Seven
Week Eight
Week Nine
1. Cooper Williams (Butte County)
The Pirate senior carried the ball ten times in Friday’s win over Grace, totaling a whopping 336 yards and six touchdowns as Butte County claimed the High Desert Conference championship.
2. Connor Parish (Castleford)
Parish also crested the 300-yard mark as the senior carried the ball 18 times for 325 yards in Friday’s win over Richfield. He also intercepted two passes on defense as the Wolves won a wild one over the Tigers.
3. Will Mavencamp (Hagerman)
Facing one of the top teams in the state, Mavencamp rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns and also passed for 236 yards and three touchdowns as Hagerman topped Raft River to win the Snake River Conference title.
Honorable Mention:
Jonah Saili (Carey)
Chris Hinkle (Cascade)
Jesse Yanik (Clark Fork)
Jon Denke (Coeur du Christ)
James Yokum (Council)
Jarrett Keen (Deary)
Payson Kelly (Garden Valley)
Brayden Spriggs (Glenns Ferry)
Kade Kimball (Grace)
Jackson Roeber (Idaho City)
Lawson Landmark (Kamiah)
Kasch Littlefield (Kendrick)
Eli Sifford (Lakeside)
Jace Cronce (Lewis County)
Owen Hunsaker (Murtaugh)
Clay Johnson (North Gem)
Mark Lungu (Notus)
Kohl Beck (Oakley)
Trey Magallon (Potlatch)
Marshall Weber (Prairie)
Guide Tracy (Raft River)
Brooks Kent (Richfield)
Donny Garner (Rockland)
JJ Whiteman (Sho-Ban)
Ty Russell (Shoshone)
Payton Christensen (Troy)
Marley Pearce (Wallace)
Sean Perry (Watersprings)
Play To The Whistle
With a minute left to play, Glenns Ferry, down six points, scored the game-tying touchdown, but Murtaugh stopped the ensuing two-point conversion to send the game to overtime. The Pilots and Red Devils exchanged defensive stops in the first overtime. In the second overtime, Murtaugh sophomore Owen Hunsaker snuck around the left edge for the go-ahead touchdown. The Red Devils stuffed Glenns Ferry’s possession and walked off the field with a 30-24 win in double overtime. You probably wouldn’t have guessed that the two teams came into the game with a combined record of 1-15. Both sides fought hard and competed like the state playoffs were on the line. And this is for them. Also teams like Sho-Ban, Wilder, Troy, Watersprings, and Dietrich. Others, too – teams that showed up on the first day of practice and kept grinding until the final whistle blew, even if there was nothing beyond program pride on the line. You worked through adversity to finish the fight. Not everyone can, but you did. And that deserves our recognition.
Fun With Numbers
According to the website MaxPreps, the leading rusher in the state of Idaho at the end of the regular season – no matter the classification – is Mackay’s Grayden Bruley with 1,504 yards. An 8-man player. Top passer? Coeur du Christ’s Grant Clemens (2,536 yards), another 8-man player. The top three receivers, in terms of yardage, are all 8-man players (Beckett Beyer, Lennox Radford, and Henry Larson). And, lest you think it’s all about the offense, the state's top sack artist is Hagerman’s Adam Nelson (19), with teammate Will Mavencamp and Kendrick’s Nathan Kimberling tied for third with 13.5. Bruley is second in the state in tackles (131), just one behind the leader, with Garden Valley’s Rhett Fackrell, Kendrick’s Orion Stewart, and Salmon River’s Kingston Pyle all ranking in the top eight.