With two games left in its 2010 season, Wood River High School's varsity football team will be a spoiler playing for pride when it heads to Burley Friday, Oct. 15 for a 7 p.m. Great Basin Conference game.
The Wolverines (2-4, 0-3 league) want to spoil Burley's Homecoming and also spoil the last chance for Burley (0-6, 0-3) to earn a berth in the State 4A Great 8 playoffs Oct. 29.
That's because, with home games left against Wood River and Jerome (2-4, 2-1), Burley remains a longshot to return to the Great 8 playoffs as the third team out of the six-team GBC. Twin Falls (5-1, 3-0) and Minico (4-2, 3-0) are a virtual lock.
Burley needs to beat Hailey to keep its playoff hopes alive.
Coach Kevin Stilling's Wolverines, after three tough GBC losses to Jerome, Twin Falls and Minico, are hoping to knock off Burley—a team that has lost 10 straight by a 331-105 margin since its 35-14 road win over Wood River last Oct. 2.
Wood River beat Burley 23-0 at home in 2007 and 39-0 at Burley in 2006. Those are the only two wins in the last 11 meetings—and the Wolverines have been outscored 290-66 in those nine losses to the Bobcats.
"By no means are we expecting an easy game going into Burley," said second-year coach Stilling Monday.
He said, "Burley hasn't won, but they just had a tight ball game with Kimberly (a 14-0 home loss Friday) where they moved the ball effectively with their double-wing offense. Their quarterback (6-2 senior Jake Mills) doesn't throw much but he tends to find his open receivers when he does.
"We're looking forward to getting back in the win column and even playing well would be exciting."
Stilling didn't think his defense played well in Thursday's 43-3 home loss to 2005-08 Great Basin king Minico. He said, "We tackled poorly—didn't run through tackles, mainly stopped our feet on contact."
Spartans junior running back Brady May rushed for over 300 yards and four touchdowns including 74-yard, 41-yard and 52-yard scores. Five of the six Minico TDs came from distances of 30 yards or more.
"May is an outstanding football player, the best two-way player we've come across," said Stilling. "He's a strong runner and does a great job reading things from linebacker."
Losing senior quarterback Kevin Jensen to an ankle injury didn't help the Hailey offense that was held to the just three points on the first field goal of the year by junior placekicker Haylee Thompson, from 29 yards.
Sophomore Tommy Bailey and junior Connor Braatz filled in as quarterback and "showed they can guide an offense," Stilling said. Tight end KJ Savaria in his first game "made some good blocks," the coach added. Junior Greg Lindbloom had another outstanding job running the ball, leading the way with 75 rushing yards.
"We didn't do a bad job blocking Minico's front defensive four. At times we ran well and Minico had a hard time stopping our inside game. But we shot ourselves in the foot with our outside running game," he said.
On defense, junior Colton Larkin made an interception and sophomore Drew Barsch, one of the smallest players on the field at 5-8, 150 pounds, contributed mightily as one of the top tacklers from his linebacker position, the Wolverine coach added.
Wood River's "Senior Night" home finale is Oct. 22 with the Canyon Ridge Riverhawks (2-4, 1-2). The Wolverine junior varsity hosts Burley Thursday, Oct. 14 for a 7 p.m. game.
2010 Wood River Football Composite
TOTAL SCORING
Opponents 57 47 37 13 154 (25.7)
Wood River 27 7 18 21 73 (12.2)
RESULTS (2-4 overall, 2-1 home, 0-3 away, 0-3 Great Basin Conference)
Sept. 3 (Away) Buhl 16, Wood River 0
Sept. 10 (Home) Wood River 29, Wendell 14
Sept. 17 (Home) Wood River 14, Gooding 12
Sept. 24 (Away) Jerome 35, Wood River 13
Oct. 1 (Away) Twin Falls 34, Wood River 14
Oct. 7 (Home) Minico 43, Wood River 3
SCORING TD CONV PTS.
Alex Padilla 5 0 30
Nathan Farrow 2 1 14
Tanner Farrow 2 0 12
Haylee Thompson 0 8 11
Connor Braatz 1 0 6
Note: Haylee Thompson has a 29-yard field goal.
Touchdown passes—Kevin Jensen 2. Conversion passes—0. Notes—Wood River has scored in 10 of 24 quarters....Wood River has successfully made 9 of 10 conversions (90% success rate)....Wood River has scored 10 TD—7 on runs from scrimmage, 2 on passes, 1 on kickoff or punt returns, 0 on defense.
Wood River senior quarterback Kevin Jensen has been a solid player all season for the Wolverines, but he left with an ankle injury in last Thursday’s game against the Minico Spartans at Phil Homer Field. Photo by David N. Seelig
