"That's the best a Wood River team has played in two seasons," said second-year Wood River High School football coach Mike Glenn about Friday's 39-0 Great Basin Conference West victory at Burley.
He said, "The kicking game, offense and defense—the whole thing. We anticipated a tough football game and came out fired up, emotionally ready to play. We were up for the challenge and really responded."
Patient and balanced on offense (192 rushing yards, 190 passing), and tough on defense, Wood River built a 19-0 lead with seven minutes left in the third, then turned three Burley turnovers into TDs in what became a blowout win.
Junior quarterback Danny Kramer (11-for-16, 190 yards, 2 TD) had his best game. He passed with confidence on the run in play-action situations. "Danny bought a little time for his receivers to get into the seams," said coach Glenn.
Wolverine junior tailback Matt Libert (19 carries, 102 yards, 2 TD) posted another quiet, 100-yard rushing performance. He got the ball each time Wood River rushed in the first half and scored the first touchdown. Libert's 18-yard TD run late in the third quarter made it 32-0 Hailey.
And senior wide receiver Danny Ward (5 catches, 135 yards) continued to be Wood River's go-to player on offense. Three of Ward's receptions were critical to Wood River gaining a 12-0 lead at halftime.
He rambled 29 yards on a jet screen prior to Libert's first TD run. Ward broke three tackles on a 35-yard bubble screen gainer leading up to the first of two Cory Rutkowski field goals in the first half. Then, Kramer and Ward connected on a NFL-style skinny-go backside route for 50 yards to the Burley 11.
"Danny's throw was right on the money," said Glenn about the well-executed down-and-in connection. "The timing was good." And Rutkowski kicked a 28-yard field goal.
Glenn said about Hailey's offense, which has kicked six field goals, "You want to put yourself on the board. It adds up over time. And you come away with a positive."
Wood River's offense showed better diversification at Burley, and Glenn gave most of the credit to assistant coach Jeff Loomis calling the plays. He also credited the defense. "Obviously the defense played real well, Burley just couldn't get anything going," said Glenn.
Total yardage for Wood River was 411, compared to Burley's 210. The Wolverines committed no turnovers, but they did continue a tendency to draw untimely penalties (11 whistles for 115 yards).
It looked close early.
On Homecoming, Burley gained 71 yards on three passes in the first quarter and made its deepest penetration to the Hailey 17. But Carter Stewart batted away a Bobcat pass near the goal line to stop the drive, Burley's best of the half.
It was scoreless after one.
A 19-yard punt return by Drew Anderson set up Wood River's first scoring drive, an 11-play, 70-yard, five-minute attack that alternated between Libert's running and Kramer's dump-off passes to Erik Jacobson and Collin Hand. Efficiently blocking were center Tyler Stocks, guards Corbin Miniard and Tyler Hendricks, and offensive tackles Casey Bennett and Chris Chapman.
On third-and-10 at the Bobcat 30, Kramer threw the jet screen to Ward. He rambled behind his blocking to the one. Two plays later Libert scored his sixth TD behind the blocking of Bennett and Hand.
Wood River's defense stiffened and the Wolverines mounted their longest drive, a nine-play, 86-yard penetration over five minutes of the second quarter. The big plays were Ward's tackle-busting 35-yard reception behind Jeff Conover's block, and Libert's 24-yard run on a counter. And Rutkowski kicked a 19-yarder.
The Wolverines have outscored opponents 60-32 in the first half of games this season, but have allowed 86 points after the half. So there was some question prior to the Burley game whether Wood River could put together four well-played quarters.
But Wood River scored on all four of its possessions after halftime to rid itself of that monkey. Glenn said, "How young we are, it's taken this long to get things put together."
Senior Grayson Thompson (7 carries, 43 yards) did some nice running on the 12-play, 69-yard TD drive that opened the third quarter. Thompson ran a counter 13 yards behind Miniard's block to the Bobcat 10. Kramer hit Ward with a 10-yard hook in the end zone.
An alert Drew Anderson fumble recovery on a failed Burley lateral pass set up the next score, a 15-yard Kramer-to-Jacobson connection. Jeff Conover's interception led to Libert's 18-yard TD sprint up the middle. Back-up QB Michale Brunker guided Hailey's second unit to the final TD with less than a minute left.
Wood River (4-2, 1-0 league) made it four wins in its last five games this season and captured its Great Basin Conference West league opener, in the process beating Burley (0-6, 0-1) for the first time since 1988.
You have to go all the way back to 1982 to find a Wood River win in Burley, back then by an 8-0 score. D.J. McMurdo scored the winning fourth-quarter TD in that one, and Don Karst—a spectator at Burley Friday—made a spectacular catch on a Dale Karst pass to set up the winning TD that spoiled Burley's Homecoming.
Friday's win snapped a seven-game losing streak to Burley grid teams—and Wood River nearly scored as many points Friday (39) as in those seven losses (46). It spoiled Burley's Homecoming, just as last year the Bobcats came to Hailey and ruined Wood River's Homecoming 41-13.
Glenn said, "We're starting to find ourselves but there is still room for improvement."
Enjoying a bye week with one league victory in the books, Wood River will prepare for its biggest game under coach Glenn when it visits the resurgent Jerome Tigers Friday, Oct. 13 for a game likely to produce the Great Basin's second seed, or possibly its league champion.
Jerome (2-3, 0-1 league) had a bye week last Friday so the Tiger coaches led by first-year mentor Gary Krumm scouted the Wood River-Burley game. Jerome visits unbeaten Buhl (5-0 this season, 6-0 at home over 2 seasons) this week and Glenn said he will personally take the game film of that key contest.
Glenn said, "Jerome has real good skill athletes. They have speed and they're athletic." The Tigers, 2-16 the past two seasons, have beaten Twin Falls and Gooding this season, and have lost to Middleton 34-29, at Century 7-2 and at Minico 20-14.
Photo by Willy Cook
