They've had their red zone problems on offense this season and have suffered big-play liabilities on defense.
And there's only one game remaining—four days before Halloween, no less—for the Wood River High School varsity football team to exorcise their demons on the gridiron.
It's a big game, as they all are in the prep post-season.
And it's a game that Wood River has been shooting for all season. Now the question is, which Wood River team will show up Friday, Oct. 27 in Idaho Falls against Bonneville?
"It's been a real up-and-down, roller-coaster season," said Wood River coach Mike Glenn after Friday's 35-7 home loss to the Minico Spartans that spoiled "Senior Night" in Hailey. "And we'd like to be up again against Bonneville.
"Our goal since the start of the season has been to win that first state playoff game and get into the tournament and we can still do that. But it's hard as a coach to keep providing the emotional energy for them. It's up to the kids now. They've got to want to do this."
Wood River's match-up against Bonneville is a better match-up than last year, he said. Bonneville is a 4-4 team that was blanked 17-0 at home by Snake River Sept. 21 and lost 20-14 at Preston Sept. 28 before winning its league with 24-7 and 26-20 wins over Blackfoot and Rigby the past two weeks.
Glenn added, "It's not like going to Pocatello last year (where Wood River lost 55-7 to the eventual state runner-up team). If we can get up from a scheme standpoint and from an emotional standpoint, it could be a fun game. Bonneville is a tough team, though. They've got some big, strong kids."
So did Minico.
Wood River's second consecutive Great Basin Conference West setback was lopsided and somewhat unexpected, since the Wolverines (4-4, 1-2 league) felt they could compete well against Minico (7-1, 3-0).
But Minico turned three Wolverine turnovers into first-half touchdowns, built a 35-0 halftime lead and cruised to their second straight Great Basin West championship behind the pinpoint passing of southpaw quarterback Dane Broadhead (10-for-17, 229 yards, 3 TD).
With the win, Minico earned the conference's top seed for the State 4A playoff preliminary round and a home game against Sixth District third seed Rigby (2-6, 1-2 league).
Bonneville of Idaho Falls (4-4, 3-0 league) won the Sixth District championship last Friday with a close 26-20 win at Rigby—Bees quarterback Brad Hannan (12-for-20, 216 yards) tossing three touchdown passes for the Bonneville winners.
That meant Bonneville will host Wood River Friday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. in Idaho Falls for the right to advance into the main eight-team State 4A playoff pool that will determine a champion over the Nov. 17-18 weekend.
Wood River has only played Bonneville twice before in football, both times during the 2004 Wolverine grid season that ended in a 0-9 record. The Wolverines lost 36-7 at Idaho Falls during the regular campaign, then fell 18-3 at home on a snowy field during the first round of the playoffs Oct. 29. Looking at film, Glenn said Bonneville QB Hannan doesn't seem as dangerous as Minico's Broadhead. But Wood River was the dangerous team last Friday, at least when you consider hanging on to the ball.
Wood River's Jeff Conover recovered a Minico fumble caused by a Danny Ward tackle on the third play of Friday's league showdown.
It appeared the Wolverines would score first when junior tailback Matt Libert (24 carries, 103 yards) rambled through huge holes for 29-yard and 15-yard gainers to the Spartan two-yard-line. Libert (944 yards season) had his seventh straight 100-yard rushing game.
Yet another untimely penalty, lining up in the neutral zone, pushed Wood River back to the eight. The Spartans stuffed two Libert runs and #1 star Matt Tracy (4 TD) pounced on the first of three Wood River fumbles at the one-yard-line.
Basically, it was all Minico for the rest of the first half.
Broadhead's passing carried the Spartans on a six-play, 99-yard scoring drive. Colby Andersen's pass rush and sack caused another fumble on Wood River's next possession and Minico quickly made it 14-0, thanks in large part to a roughing the passer penalty whistled on third down-and-12.
A Spartan interception on a Wood River razzle-dazzle play led to a nine-play, 60-yard TD drive midway through the second quarter. Minico added two more touchdowns, the last coming on a 54-yard Broadhead-to-Tracy pass with only six seconds left on the first-half clock.
Having established its superiority, Minico called off its horses in the second half.
Wolverine junior QB Danny Kramer (12-for-18, 138 yards) was five-for-five for 57 yards on the home team's only TD drive that ended early in the fourth quarter on a nice 21-yard scoring toss to Vincent Vertneg. A roughing the kicker penalty helped keep the drive alive.
Wood River's star field goal kicker Cory Rutkowski did try a 53-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter. The kick fell about eight yards short of the goalposts.
Unfortunately Wood River junior-class kickoff returner Matt Staskiewicz suffered a painful shoulder injury on a Minico gang tackle late in the second quarter and will be lost for the rest of the season.
That season may only last one game longer, but, if Wood River upsets Bonneville this coming Friday, the Wolverines would have another game.
Wood River, by beating Bonneville, would face the winner of Friday's state play-in game between Blackfoot (5-3) and host Century (4-4). Blackfoot trounced Hillcrest (0-9) 62-3 last Friday while Century eliminated Preston (4-4) 30-12.
Blackfoot beat Century 42-26 in Blackfoot back on Sept. 29.
In Friday's other state play-in game from this region, Pocatello (6-2, 26-5 three years) will host Great Basin West runner-up Jerome (5-3) in what could be the final game of the season for the resurgent Tigers coached by Gary Krumm.
Wood River High School senior lineman Casey Bennett poses with his proud parents Pat and Ken Bennett at the start of Friday?s ?Senior Night? football game at Phil Homer Field, Hailey.
