Wood River High School’s nine-game varsity football season kicks off Friday, Sept. 6 with a home game against the 2A Salmon Savages at Hailey’s Phil Homer Field. Opening kickoff takes place at 6 p.m.
Those assembled will see one of Idaho’s best quarterbacks in Salmon senior Jedd Tibbitts. He was the Idaho Statesman’s 2A All-Idaho Second Team quarterback last season. Tibbitts guided Salmon to a 6-2 record that included a 20-14 loss at Marsing in the State 2A quarterfinals last Nov. 2.
Salmon’s only other loss last season was 26-20 to eventual State 2A runner-up Firth. The Declo Hornets (12-0) captured their first-ever state football championship 22-12 over Firth (11-1) at Pocatello’s Holt Arena.
Wood River coach Kevin Stilling said, “Tibbitts is a very talented quarterback. He’s athletic, has a good arm and makes people miss when he runs.”
As a sophomore in 2011, Tibbitts’ passing and running accounted for 37 touchdowns, leading Salmon to nine straight wins before a 23-21 State 3A quarterfinal loss to eventual state champion Snake River.
One change for coach Ken Miner’s Salmon Savages: The graduation of All-State wide receiver Jacob Shively, the team Most Valuable Player who had 36 receptions for 817 yards and 12 TDs last season. Miner said he was Salmon’s best athlete for the 2012 team.
Wood River will play Salmon for the first time since 1997 in football. Last year’s scheduled game at Salmon was canceled by smoky conditions. Salmon leads the all-time series 11-5 including eight straight wins over Wolverines teams. Wood River last beat Salmon in 1987, a 34-20 Homecoming win.
Check Wednesday’s Express for a Wood River football season preview with coach Stilling about the 50-player Hailey football program that includes seven seniors, 10 juniors, seven sophomores and 26 freshmen.
A total 9 games for the 2013 Wood River High School varsity—5 home and 4 away. Home varsity games at Hailey’s Phil Homer Field start at 7 p.m. Homecoming is the Oct. 11 game against Twin Falls. Home games in bold type. The 5 Great Basin Conference District 4 games are marked with an asterisk (*). Tickets are $5 general admission, or $3 high school students with activity cards. Also listed are the 4-game JV schedule and the 5-game freshman schedule.
Varsity football
DATE, DAY............................ OPPONENT........................ LOCATION
Sept. 6, Friday............................ Salmon............................ Home, 6:00
Sept. 13, Friday............................ Buhl.............................. Home, 7:00
Sept. 20, Friday........................... Gooding............................. Away, 7:00
Sept. 27, Friday.......................... Kimberly............................. Away, 7:00
Oct. 4, Friday............................. Minico*............................ Home, 7:00
Oct. 11, Friday........... Twin Falls* (Homecoming)............ Home, 7:00
Oct. 18, Friday............................. Burley*.............................. Away, 7:00
Oct. 25, Friday................. Jerome (Sr. Night)*.................. Home, 7:00
Nov. 1, Friday........................ Canyon Ridge*................ Twin Falls, 7:00
Nov. 8, Friday.............. State 4A playoff quarterfinal........................ TBA
Junior varsity football
DATE, DAY............................ OPPONENT........................ LOCATION
Sept. 5, Thursday........................ Salmon.............................. Away, 6:00
Sept. 12, Thursday......................... Buhl................................ Away, 7:00
Sept. 19, Thursday................... Gooding........................... Home, 6:30
Sept. 26, Thursday................... Kimberly........................... Home, 6:30
Freshman football
DATE, DAY............................ OPPONENT........................ LOCATION
Oct. 3, Thursday.......................... Minico*............................ Rupert, 4:30
Oct. 10, Thursday..................... Twin Falls*......................... Rupert, 4:30
Oct. 17, Thursday...................... Burley*............................ Home, 6:30
Oct. 24, Thursday....................... Jerome*............................. Away, 4:30
Oct. 31, Thursday............... Canyon Ridge*..................... Home, 6:30
NOTES—The top 2 of the 6 Great Basin Conference District 4 schools qualify for the 8-school State 4A playoffs sponsored by the Idaho High School Activities Association. The three-weekend tournament concludes Nov. 22-23 with the Milk Bowl championship finals. In the quarterfinal round on Friday, Nov. 8, the 4th District league champion (WR, Jerome, Burley, Minico, Twin Falls or Canyon Ridge) hosts the second-place finisher from the 5th/6th Districts (Century, Pocatello, Preston, Blackfoot, Bonneville, Rigby). The second-place 4th District 4A team meets the 5th/6th District champion in the quarterfinals. Summing up, Idaho’s 26 4A schools will play for the 8 state berths—1 state berth coming from the 3-school Districts 1/2 in northern Idaho, 3 coming from the 8-school District 3 around Boise, 2 coming from the 6-school District 4, and 2 coming from the 6-school Districts 5/6 in eastern Idaho.
Wood River football coach Kevin Stilling.
Express file photo
