Prep football recap: Boise moves to 3-0. Owyhee upsets Meridian. Eagle bounces back

With three returning starters at receiver ahead of him, Jackson Smith isn’t necessarily the first player Boise quarterback Trevor Schoolfield looks to in crunch time.

But the 6-foot-3, 170-pound junior might have a lot more balls coming his way in the near future.

Smith hauled in a 19-yard, go-ahead touchdown with 1 minute, 24 seconds left to propel Boise to a 28-19 victory over Timberline on Friday at Dona Larsen Park.

The Brave improve to 3-0 for the second year in a row and have now won the crosstown rivalry three straight years.

“When you’re not getting the ball a lot, it’s easy to get frustrated,” Boise coach Mike Altieri said. “It’s easy to not stay focused, but he did not do that. He stepped up in the biggest moment that he could and made a huge play for us.”

It was the first touchdown of Smith’s varsity career.

“Honestly, I couldn’t even believe it,” Smith said. “I was just in shock. My teammates were coming up and congratulating me. It felt really good.”

In their fifth season under Altieri, the Brave continue a monstrous turnaround. After being picked to finish dead last in the SIC last season, Boise made the playoffs for the first time since 2002 and finished with the program’s best winning percentage since 1988.

The Brave carried that momentum into the 2024 season, defeating Capital 36-33 for their first win in that rivalry since 1988. Combined with their victory over Timberline, Boise has now set its sights on sweeping its Boise School District opponents. The Brave play Borah on Sept. 26 at Dona Larsen Park.

“Our coaches say all the time: ‘Own the city,’” Smith said. “We beat Capital and Timberline, so we’ve got Borah next. That’s what’s on our mind.”

Altieri described the finish to Friday’s game as “stressful,” and rightfully so.

After Smith’s touchdown gave the Brave a 20-19 lead, all they needed was one more defensive stand.

The Brave thought they’d come up with a game-ending play, collecting a Timberline (2-1) fumble on a low snap, only to fumble it themselves on the same play and give the ball right back to the Wolves.

But the Brave defense didn’t back down. Two plays later, senior linebacker Peter Costello stepped in front of a Timberline pass and ran 12 yards untouched into the end zone.

“Tight games like this are won in the offseason, and they’ve shown up and they’ve worked hard and they’ve earned this,” Altieri said. “When the chips are down and it’s time to make big plays, they always seem to find a way to do it.”

Schoolfield finished 23-for-31 for 237 yards and three touchdowns for the Brave. Junior receiver Will Gebert was his top target, catching six passes for 113 yards and a pair of TDs, including a 50-yard scramble down the sideline at the start of the third quarter.

Timberline quarterback Jack Brant threw for one touchdown and scored on a 29-yard run in the third quarter that gave the Wolves a 19-14 lead. He led Timberline on the ground with 102 yards on 14 carries and also had 76 yards passing.

EAGLE 68, CENTENNIAL 0

The Mustangs dominated on both sides of the ball in a shutout of the Patriots (0-3).

Eagle (2-1) amassed 595 total yards of offense while holding Centennial to just 121 total yards, including only 7 through the air.

Quarterback Austin Ramsey completed 14-of-21 pass attempts for 273 yards and five touchdowns to five different receivers, and Roman Walker collected 159 yards and three scores on the ground.

On defense, Jack Giannini had a fumble recovery TD and Oliver Stephens grabbed an interception for the Mustangs.

OWYHEE 35, MERIDIAN 19

The Storm improved to 3-0 with an upset victory over the Warriors.

Owyhee scored 21 points in the second half to pull away for the win after leading just 14-13 at halftime.

Carver Martin had two touchdown receptions for Meridian (1-2), while quarterback Zeke Martinez finished with 188 passing yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for 67 yards and another score.

Stats were not reported for Owyhee.

RIGBY 42, BISHOP KELLY 7

The Trojans held the Knights to just 141 yards of total offense for a nonconference victory.

Bishop Kelly (2-1) scored its only touchdown late in the fourth quarter on a 35-yard pass from Jaxon Brady to receiver Kade Noll.

Rigby amassed 537 yards of total offense and led 42-0 in the fourth quarter to trigger the running-clock mercy rule.

VALLIVUE 27, SKYVIEW 7

The Falcons held Skyview to 176 yards of offense, including just 28 yards on 27 carries, and fell a late score short of a shutout to open their conference schedule.

Onix Carson ran for 145 yards and a touchdown to lead Vallivue (1-1, 1-0 5A SIC). Isaac Moore made up for three interceptions by throwing for 100 yards and a score while running for 59 yards and another touchdown. And Connor Blaisdell kicked field goals of 32 and 27 yards to ensure the Falcons ended stalled drives with points.

Mason Krahn scored the only touchdown for Skyview (0-3, 0-1) with a 3-yard touchdown with 6:31 left. He also made four catches for 60 yards as the Hawks’ top offensive producer.

NAMPA 41, COLUMBIA 13

The Bulldogs (2-1, 1-0 5A SIC) cruised to their sixth straight win over their crosstown rivals behind a defense that gave up just 151 total yards and saw Hugo Afamasaga return a blocked punt for a touchdown.

Nampa quarterback Dom Almaraz finished 23-for-35 for 234 yards and three touchdowns to three different receivers. Kartez Hernandez hauled in 11 catches for 124 yards and a score, while Omarion Vasser ran for 106 yards as Nampa racked up 449 yards of offense.

Stats for Columbia (2-1, 0-1) were not reported.

HOMEDALE 47, KIMBERLY 21

The Trojans put up 40 points in the first half and cruised to a nonconference road victory over the Bulldogs.

Alex Sotelo and Rafael Cuenca each had a pick-six for Homedale (3-0), and quarterback Xavier Uranga went 12-for-19 passing for 230 yards and three touchdowns. Luke Henry caught three passes — two of them for TDs — and totaled a team-best 116 yards receiving.

Homedale also scored on a blocked punt by Diego Cortez, which teammate McCoy Swallow recovered and returned 26 yards for the score.

WEISER 61, MELBA 22

Six different players scored touchdowns in the Wolverines’ rout of the Mustangs in nonconference action.

Weiser (1-2) led 54-0 by halftime as quarterback Kolin Cook completed 8-of-10 passes for 301 yards and four touchdowns.

Garrett Walker had a rushing and receiving touchdown for the Wolverines, and Luke Sarich totaled 113 receiving yards and two TDs on just three receptions.

Stats were not reported for Melba (1-2).

PAYETTE 30, NYSSA (ORE.) 6

The Pirates (3-0) overcame two early turnovers and rode four total touchdowns from Darien Pecunia to roll to their third straight win.

Pecunia ran for 189 yards and two TDs on 11 carries, and he went 7-for-14 for 80 yards and two more scores through the air. Josh Rodriguez caught both touchdown passes with two catches for 34 yards.

Payette also held Nyssa to 173 yards of offense and forced a first-quarter safety on defense

NAMPA CHRISTIAN 22, COLE VALLEY CHRISTIAN 16

The Trojans held on for a victory in a back-and-forth matchup with the Chargers.

Matthew Nevarez and Ian Johnson each scored rushing touchdowns for Nampa Christian (1-2), and Thomas Duerre caught a 32-yard TD pass on his only reception of the game.

Stats were not reported for Cole Valley (0-3).

RIMROCK 40, HORSESHOE BEND 22

Ronaldo Gomez stuffed the stat sheet again for the Raiders (2-1) in another nonconference victory, throwing for 175 yards and three TDs, running for 112 yards and another score, and making 16 tackles on defense.

Kas Bachman stood as his top receiver with four catches for 100 yards and a touchdown, and Riley Gonzalez finished with 75 total yards and a score.

Trey Bauer ran for 202 yards and two touchdowns for Horseshoe Bend (1-1), and Colby Swan ran for 54 yards and a score.

CASCADE 28, IDAHO CITY 6

Stuart Derrick scored four touchdowns for the second straight week to lead the Ramblers (2-0) to another nonconference win. No other details were reported.