Weiser beats Marsh Valley 38-16, will travel to Kimberly

Published by admin on Wed, 11/01/2023 - 10:04am

Weiser running back Kaleb Grove picks out someone to run over as his linemen clear a path through Marsh Valley’s defense Friday night during the Wolverines’ first round state playoff game at Roy Dickerson Field in Weiser. Grove had 78 yards rushing on the night. Senior Brock Spencer recorded an amazing 164 receiving yards, with quarterback Kolin Cook completing 5 of 6 pass attempts for 222 yards. Weiser travels to Kimberly on Friday for the quarterfinals. Photo by Keith Bryant
By: 
Philip A. Janquart
By the end of the game, the temperature had fallen to 35 degrees and the wind chill made it feel even colder.
 It wasn’t enough, however, to keep fans from populating the stands at Roy Dickerson Memorial Field and setting up as usual on the hillside on the west end of the stadium.
 Plenty of weather-hardened spectators, bundled in layers, witnessed the Wolverines (9-1, 4-1) beat the Eagles of Marsh Valley 38-16 on Friday in a play-in game in the first round of the 2023 3A State Football Playoffs.
 The IHSAA (Idaho High School Activities Association) updated its playoff bracket on Saturday, showing the Wolverines, ranked No. 5, traveling to Kimberly this Friday (Nov. 3) to face the Bulldogs in the quarterfinals. Kimberly, ranked No. 4, is 10-0 overall following a 31-8 victory over Gooding (2-8) on Oct. 27.
 The Bulldog offense has scored a total of 417 points so far this season while allowing only 71, according to MaxPreps.com. In comparison, Weiser has scored an impressive 381 points and given up 111.
 Kimberly is 207 miles east of Weiser, approximately seven miles east of Twin Falls.
 Conference rival and No. 2 seed Homedale (9-0) had a bye, but will square off against No. 7 Snake River (6-4, 2-0) on Nov. 3, according to the IHSAA’s updated bracket. Weiser’s only loss this season came in a 21-14 road loss to Homedale on Oct. 6.
Marsh Valley
 Eagles running back Bo Larsen notched off a 26-yard run to the 50-yard line on the first play of Friday’s game in Weiser. 
 The next play resulted in a replay of a first-and-10 due to offsetting penalties, with Weiser flagged for a personal foul and Marsh Valley with a holding penalty.
 The Wolverines intercepted quarterback Cooper Bowman, but a roughing the passer call negated the play, resulting in an Eagle first-and-10 from Weiser’s 33-yard line. 
 The Wolverine defense held and Marsh Valley elected a field goal attempt, but a fumbled snap led to the holder, Bowman, to attempt a run, which was stalled by Weiser’s Jayden Walker who tackled Bowman at the 25-yard line.
 Weiser took over on downs, quarterback Kolin Cook launching a 32-yard pass to senior Brock Spencer. The offense was hampered by a false start penalty on the ensuing play, but another pass to Spencer resulted in a 33-yard gain and another first down. Jayden Walker ended the drive with a 15-yard touchdown run. Kicker Ryndon Olsen’s point-after was good, making it 7-0 Weiser with 5:03 left in the first quarter.
 Weiser’s Jack Shirts intercepted the ball on the Eagle’s next drive, but a fumble between Weiser’s center and quarterback on the next play gave the ball back over to Marsh Valley, which led to a successful 39-yard field goal by the Eagles, making it 7-3 just over two minutes into the second quarter.
Olsen followed with a field goal of his own on the next drive, a 24-yarder that extended Weiser’s lead to 10-3, with 6:42 left in the second quarter.
 Spencer continued to pose a big problem for the Marsh Valley secondary, hauling in a 63-yard touchdown pass from Cook with 1:15 to go in the half. Spencer had split defenders and found himself wide open in the middle of the field, catching the ball at the Eagles 27-yard line and running the rest of the way for the touchdown. Another successful point-after by Olsen made it 17-3.
 Marsh Valley quarterback Keaton Belnap, who traded time with Bowman throughout the game, heaved a ball to receiver Corbridge Bastian in the endzone, but Xander Gray broke up the pass to end the half.
 Marsh Valley started off the third quarter with an onside kick, which surprised the Wolverines and was recovered by the Eagles who failed to capitalize on the ensuing drive.
 Kaleb Grove would score midway through the third quarter on a 10-yard run followed by a 4-yard touchdown reception by Brock Spencer with 1:51 left in the third, pushing the score to 31-3.
 Marsh Valley scored next on a 4-yard run with 6:29 left in the fourth quarter, followed by a breakaway 45-yard touchdown run by Jayden Walker to put the score at 38-10 Weiser with 3:41 left in the game.
 The Eagles added one more touchdown in the last seconds of the quarter against Weiser’s backup players. An extra point attempt was not made since no time remained on the clock, ending the game 38-16.
 “Yeah, we shot ourselves in the foot; we had a fumble, some inopportune penalties and it took us a while to get on track,” said head coach Tom Harrison of the first half of play. “But when they did, it was pretty explosive. Kolin (Cook) had a big game and, of course, Brock Spencer had a big game also.
 “I’m happy we’re moving on and proud of our kids. They work hard and are fun to be around; they make my job easier. Our coaches do a great job. We had a pretty good game plan coming into it and we can celebrate for one or two days and then it’s time to get back at it.”
 

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Signal American

18 E. Idaho St.
Weiser, ID 83672
PH: (208) 549-1717
FAX: (208) 549-1718
 

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