Notebook: Unbeatens highlight Week 3 action
Published at
Highland, Madison, North Fremont, Ririe, Aberdeen, West Side, and Butte County. Say hello to the area’s remaining unbeaten football teams.
Rams win defensive battle
Highland defeated Lake City 13-7 on Saturday as sophomore Cedric Mitchell ran for 124 yards and a touchdown.
Paxten Johnson added the final margin of victory with two field goals, including a 45-yarder.
Sophomore Malakai Mitchell led the team with nine tackles and seven other players had four or more tackles. Christian Alvarico added an interception.
The Rams (4-0) host Thunder Ridge in a conference matchup on Friday.
Madison improves to 4-0
The Bobcats held off Skyline 28-27, stopping a two-point attempt by the Grizzlies in the closing minutes.
Hazen Torgerson passed for 220 yards, but it was Bryce Dredge carrying the ground game with 24 carries for 150 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
CarMyne Garcia passed for 233 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a score for the Grizzlies (1-2).
Skyline hosts Hillcrest on Friday. Madison hosts Blackfoot in a nonconference matchup.
Sugar-Salem win streak snapped
The Diggers’ annual nonconference matchup with Star Valley (WY) is typically a productive game for both programs as they prepare for the heart of their seasons.
This time it was Star Valley getting the best of Sugar-Salem 27-21, snapping the Diggers’ 25-game win streak dating back to the 2021 state championship game.
Sugar-Salem tied the game at 21-21 with 5:11 left when Kimball Tonks ran for a 10-yard touchdown.
The Braves (3-0) scored the winning touchdown with 29 seconds left when they converted a 19-yard touchdown pass.
Sugar-Salem (3-1) hosts Kimberly on Friday.
3A getting defensive
North Fremont has seemingly always been bolstered by a diverse offense that can run the ball with speed and power and pass enough just to keep defenses on their heels.
That’s no different this year under first-year head coach Keith Director.
The Huskies (3-0) average nearly 42 points per game. But it’s on the defensive side where they’ve shined, giving up just 8.67 points.
Not coincidentally, Aberdeen (3-0), which is ranked one spot ahead of the Huskies at No. 2 in the 3A state poll, has register back-to-back shutouts and given up an average of 6.0 points.
Run Butte County, run
The Pirates (4-0) totaled 433 rushing yards in a 67-16 win over Murtaugh.
Five different players scored rushing touchdowns with Rawson Twitchell accounting for three and Razor Duke running for 176 yards and two touchdowns.
Potential conference title matchup?
Yes, we’re only into the fifth week of the season, but Friday’s Hillcrest vs. Skyline game at Ravsten Stadium will likely set up the frontrunner for the 5A District 6 title.
The Knights, who won the conference title last year, knocked off Skyline in the regular season last year with a last-second Hail Mary pass. Hillcrest then proceeded to end Skyline’s bid for a fourth consecutive state title with a 35-31 victory in the state semifinals.