SPORTS
Times-News
Saturday, October 29, 2016 | D1
Saturday, October 29, 2016 | magicvalley.com | SECTION D
Unlikely heroes keep Twin Falls alive ALEX VALENTINE
avalentine@magicvalley.com
PHOTO BY STEVE CONNER
Twin Falls Whitney Solosabal (7) goes up for a kill in the opening game against Middleton in the 4A Idaho State Volleyball Championships at Hillcrest High School.
AMMON —B.J. Price told his players this would happen. He didn’t know his team would have to come out of the losers’ bracket for the second year in a row. He certainly didn’t know that this would happen against a district foe that his team had beaten just one week earlier in the 4A District IV championship. But he knew this would happen. Before leaving for the state tournament, Price showed his players a clip of Game 4 of the 2002 NBA Western Conference finals between the Los Ange-
les Lakers, who were powered by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, and the Sacramento Kings. Like those Lakers, Twin Falls volleyball steamrolled regular season opponents, largely thanks to the play of a few alpha dogs on the roster. The Lakers won 56 games en route to earning a two-seed in the Western Conference. Twin Falls didn’t lose a single set in conference play until the postseason, and beat several state tournament teams in both 4A and 5A during midseason tournaments. With eight seconds left in
the game, and the Lakers down two and in possession of the ball, Price stops the tape. He asks his players who they think will make the last shot. Everyone agrees that it must be Kobe. Wrong. He asks for their second choice. Again, everyone agrees. It must be Shaq. Wrong again. Price plays the tape. Kobe gets a good look, and misses the shot. O’neal grabs the rebound, but he misses the layup. With the clock winding down, a Spurs player tips the ball out to the perimeter, and Price pauses the tape one more time.
“This is us,” he tells the team. “This moment is going to happen to us this week. This is the moment when someone else is either going to make this team, this year, and your entire career, or they’re going to break it. Someone else is going to have to make a play.” Price plays the tape again, and Robert Horry, a 31-year-old power forward who averaged a measly 6.8 points per game in 26 minutes per night during the 2001-02 regular season, drains a three-pointer to even the series at two apiece. Please see TWIN FALLS, Page D3
Will and force: Senators advance in state playoffs DAVID BASHORE
For the Times-News
GOODING — Nothing has come easily for the Gooding football team in 2016. Friday was no exception. Arguably the most impeccably kept field in the Magic Valley was decimated by a week’s worth of rain, which also fell all day Friday, rendering it into the muddiest of messes just in time for a 3A playoff game with Homedale. The Senators’ typical offense of explosion and athleticism was largely neutralized by a combination of rain, mud and Homedale. Three times Gooding coughed the ball up. Left with a battle of will and power football, Gooding rode its workhorse running back and a vicious defense to a 27-12 win over the visiting Trojans. The Senators celebrated by treating an exceptionally muddy spot near the 50-yard like a slipand-slide — head coach Cameron Andersen included. “I’ve never played in anything like this before,” said Gooding junior jack-of-all-trades Sam Funkhouser. “We love playing in the rain, but we knew there would be consequences like ball security and things like that. But even with the fumbles I thought we held onto it really well.” Bruising running back Mike Needham resumed full duty after a lengthy absence due to injury. He returned last week against Buhl but carried the load on Friday evening, scoring the opening touchdown and punishing Homedale defenders all night long. “It’s a mentality thing in these situations,” Needham said. “We knew it was going to be tough conditions so we had to prepare for anything. I was a little nervous but that early run helped, definitely.” Gooding got up 14-0 and could have made it more, but the Senators fumbled on the way into the end zone. Still, barring two big plays, the Gooding defense held Homedale largely in check. “The thing about our defense Please see SENATORS, Page D4
PAT SUTPHIN, TIMES-NEWS
Twin Falls senior Ryan Nolan fumbles the ball as he’s tackled by Middleton defensive back Hayden Smith on Friday, Oct. 28, 2016, at Twin Falls High School in Twin Falls.
Bruins succumb to downpour, Middleton Vikings onslaught NICK RULAND
nruland@magicvalley.com
TWIN FALLS — It’s true, both Middleton and Twin Falls had to play in the sloppiest of slop Friday night in the opening round of the 4A state football tournament. But sports cliches are often wrong. The conditions favored the Vikings Friday night, a more powerful and physical football team, leading to a decisive 3214 victory for Middleton and another first-round bow-out for the Bruins. “We are a finesse football team,” said Bruins head coach Allyn Reynolds. “They are a strong, physical football team that can ground and pound. In
November in the state of Idaho, you have to be able play that way.” Middleton threw the ball a grand total of three times. They ran it 45 times for 346 yards and 15 first downs, the vast majority of those coming between the guards. The Bruins knew what was coming, and no matter the adjustment, they simply couldn’t slow it down enough to generate momentum. Once in a three touchdown hole, Twin Falls was forced to pass, as the indefatigable Zach Malina and his valiant skill playPAT SUTPHIN, TIMES-NEWS ers did their best to connect with a wet ball on a slick mud field. Twin Falls senior Derek Christensen brings down Middleton running back Jaden Coombs on Friday, Oct. 28, 2016, at Twin Falls High School Please see BRUINS, Page D4 in Twin Falls.
Vikings, Lions move to state semifinals ers. Knowing that most of the Challis hits would be coming off the arm of Challis senior Tara VALLEY 3, CHALLIS 0 Chamberlain, Sellers knew she RIGBY — Showing an im- had to focus on Chamberlain and proved passing game from the getting to her spot. “I knew she opening match with Genesee, could hit.” the Vikings look to be gaining momentum into tomorrow’s VALLEY 3, GENESEE 1 match with Troy after sweeping RIGBY — After a mild test from Challis, 25-19, 25-21, 25-15. Genesee in the first set, Valley “We played a strong match and was able to put three good sets played better as a team. I look for together for the opening win, 18us to be stronger tomorrow with 25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-21. a better mentality. We had one “We came out ready and got rotation when we were down a lead in the first set, 16-12 but but we basically were ahead in then we made some errors and Genesee was able to finish out all three sets.” The Vikings as a team recorded the set for the win,” said Valley 27 digs, 38 kills, and 15 blocks. coach Katie Clark. “In the sec“We played better defense ond set, we picked up the tempo against Challis and the hitters and our hitting and passing imwere really putting it to the floor,” proved. The seniors seemed to said senior libero, Tannah Sell- feel comfortable and stepped DIANE PHILBIN
dphilbin@magicvalley.com
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up. It was a new experience for the younger girls and they were a little nervous. ” As a team, the Vikings tallied 31 kills and had seven blocks. “We got the job done at the net,” said Clark. Valley senior setter Brinley Reed felt the team came out confident with just a mild touch of state tournament nerves. “We feel that we have a strong team that works real well together. We had a practice last night and we were feeling good today. Since this was the third trip to state I think we knew what to expect but we all still came out a little nervous so we all had to take a deep breathe. All the hitPHOTO BY KELLY MAGEE ters were on top and were hitting Valley’s Madisyn Kimmel (11) looks to hit the ball past the block of Genesee’s down. Not one hitter was having Anna Druffel (12) in the opening game of the 1AD1 Idaho State Volleyball Please see VOLLEYBALL, Page D4 Tournament at Rigby High School.
SPORTS
Times-News
Saturday, October 29, 2016 | D3
Pilots sink Vikings, avoid K.C. playoff JESS JOHNSON
For the Times-News NICK RULAND
nruland@magicvalley.com
GLENNS FERRY — There was a lot at stake in Friday night’s matchup between Glenns Ferry and the Valley Vikings. In addition to the traveling Standlee trophy awarded annually to the winner of the rivalry, t h e game a l s o carried playoff implications for both teams. A win by Valley would create a threeway tie for second place in the Snake River conference and keep the Vikings playoff hopes alive. A win by the Pilots meant a second place finish and the rights to host a first-round playoff game.
In a game that featured more defense than offense and a steady rain throughout, Glenns Ferry overcame their own miscues and a stout Valley defense to extend their season by defeating the Vikings 30-14. “Amazing. I’m just so happy for these guys,” said Glenns Ferry head coach Laif Morrison. “They give their heart and soul every down every play all year. You couldn’t ask for a better bunch of guys, they’re awesome.” Points were at a premium in the game with sloppy conditions on the field leading to missed opportunities for both teams. Dropped passes and fumbles outnumbered touchdowns for the two usually high flying offenses. “We had every opportunity in the world to make
plays. They spit it up, we spit it up, but they made more plays than us,” said Valley head coach Ryon Jarvis. “The weather changes things a little bit but it was basically what I expected. It all came down to who made the least mistakes and the most plays and they made two more than us, that’s for sure.” In the early going both teams took advantage of short fields to score a touchdown. Then, late in the second quarter, Valley capped a 50 yard drive with a 4 yard run by sophomore quarterback Jason Hardy to take a 14-8 lead with only 24 seconds left in the half. One play later senior Glenns Ferry wide receiver Eric Ballesteros took a pitch from quarterback Kody Arellano then threw the ball down the field to streaking
sophomore receiver Carson Grigg for a 59 yard touchdown and two point halftime lead. “It’s not me making a play it’s the whole team making it,” said Ballesteros, “It was a team effort and we pulled it off.” The sixteen second quarter points turned out to be all the points Glenns Ferry needed but the Pilots added two second half touchdowns, a one yard Kody Arellano run and a 56 yard Brady Turner run, to cement the win. “Glenns Ferry is fourand-o in rainy games, baby,” Arellano said, “We underestimated them a little in the beginning but they stepped up and played great defense so we made some adjustments and broke a few big plays.” Glenns Ferry advances to
the state playoffs next week state playoffs as the Snake and will host Wilder. River Conference’s third seed, to just 80 total yards. GLENNS FERRY 30, The win also secured the VALLEY 14 conference championship Glenns Ferry 0 16 8 6 — 30 and the top seed from DisValley 6 8 0 0 — 14 trict IV. First quarter V — Tvrdy 34 run (pass failed) 6:45 “Our kids played a great Second quarter game,” said Raft River head GF — Arellano 5 run (Ballesteros run) 10:20 V — Hardy 4 run (Hardy run) 0:24 coach Brian Poole. “DefenGF — Grigg 59 pass from Ballesteros (Ballesteros run) sively our kids came to play 0:00 Third quarter and we did a really good job GF — Arellano 1 run (Arellano run) 0:00 staying on assignment and Fourth quarter GF — Turner 56 run (run failed) 3:25 doing what we prepared them for. It was a playoff RAFT RIVER 48, OAKLEY 8 atmosphere for the district MALTA — Kolten Hitt title, and hopefully being completed 15 passes for able to prepare will help us 332 yards and three touch- in the state tournament.” 0 8 0 0—8 downs, Kayden Hitt caught OAKLEY RAFT RIVER 22 20 6 0—48 seven passes for 114 yards, First quarter River — Holtman 19 from Kolten Hitt (run failed) Wacey Holtman added 180 Raft RR— Kayden Hitt 52 from Kolten Hitt (Collis) receiving yards as the Tro- RR — Holtman 3 run (pass from Hitt) jans capped off a perfect Oakley — Bedke 2 run (Bedke from Cranney) Second quarter regular season with another RR — Holtman 1 run (pass failed) RR — Hitt 14 run (run failed) dominant victory. RR— Boden 5 from Hitt (Hitt 3 from Hitt) Raft River held Oakley, Third quarter who will advance to the 1AI RR— Holtman 56 from Hitt (run failed)
No. 4 Washington, No. 17 Utah meet in Pac-12 showdown ASSOCIATED PRESS
SALT LAKE CITY — The road to the Pac-12 championship hasn’t taken the usual route in 2016 with traditional powers such as Stanford and Oregon struggling. The premier game of this season could take place in Salt Lake City on Saturday when No. 17 Utah hosts No. 4 Washington in a possible preview of the title game. Washington (7-0, 4-0 Pac-12) is off to its first 7-0 start since 1992 when the Huskies shared the league championship with Stanford. The No. 4 ranking is their highest since 2000. Thirdyear coach Chris Petersen called Utah their biggest challenge of the season. “I think their record proves out,” Petersen said. “Going on the road, that’s a really great environment to play in, all those types of things across the board. This will by far be our toughest test so far.” The Utes are off to a 7-1 start for the second consecutive season as they continue to chase the first Pac-12 championship in school history. The Utes sit atop the South Division with a 4-1 record and control their own destiny, once again. The 2015 team, however, dropped back to back games after improving to 7-1 and wound up in the Las Vegas Bowl. “If you want to win the Pac-12 South, you have to do it the entire season,” Utah safety Chase Hansen said. “You’ve got to do it
AP, ELAINE THOMPSON
Washington quarterback Jake Browning throws a pass against Oregon State on Oct. 22 in Seattle. at the end of the year. You can’t have any excuses. No one cares who’s hurt. You’ve got to be able to fight at this point in the season. You’ve got to win games however you can. Right now it’s
just about fighting, grinding it out.” Things to watch when Utah hosts Washington: MYLES AND MYLES: After a slow start to the season, Wash-
ington’s Myles Gaskin has found a groove as the primary ball carrier in the backfield. Gaskin has three straight 100-yard games, including 128 yards and a touchdown last week against Oregon State. Gaskin shared the running load early in the season, but in the past three games the sophomore has run for 425 yards and four touchdowns. Gaskin is now the leading rusher in the Pac-12 with 727 yards on the season. HOLD THE EDGE: Washington is expected to be without outside linebacker Joe Mathis for a second straight game due to an undisclosed injury. The Huskies are hopeful of getting Mathis back this season, but will miss his ability to pressure off the edge. Mathis is tied for the team lead with 7 ½ sacks on the season. Connor O’Brien is expected to make a second straight start in place of Mathis. O’Brien had four tackles and one sack last week against Oregon State. RUNNING JOE: Senior Joe Williams retired two weeks into the season due to injuries and some personal issues, but returned to the team a month later after the running back ranks were depleted by injuries. Williams had a school-record 332 yards rushing and four touchdowns last week and has a combined 511 yards in the two games since returning. The veteran offensive line has also improved recently. REVENGE, KINDA: Utah
Twin Falls From D1
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Price stops the tape one last time. “We all know we have great players. But it’s going to be someone else. A contributor is going to have to make a huge impact on a game at some point,” Price continues. And a contributor did just that at Hillcrest High School on Friday night. After cruising through a clean sweep of Middleton in the first round of the state tournament, the Bruins ran into Idaho Falls, a team who, after winning the past two state championships in 5A, slipped down to a 4A classification this year. The volleyball team hadn’t slipped a bit, however. After winning the first set, the Bruins lost the next three in convincing fashion. By the end of the fourth set, the players’ body language was poor, and minimal noise came from their side of the court. Adversity hit the team for what may have been the first time all year, and it hit hard. Idaho Falls won the final three sets by scores of 25-20, 25-21, and 25-16. After the game, Price was visibly dismayed. “We just have to get more players involved. When the other team shuts down our best players, we can’t just keep trying to force feed them. We have to spread the ball around and some other people have to make plays,” said Price. After the loss, the Bruins were sent to the gauntlet that is the state tournament losers’ bracket. First up: the Burley
PHOTO BY STEVE CONNER
Twin Falls Kennedi Evans (10) hits the ball against Middleton in the opening game of the 4A Idaho State Volleyball Championships at Hillcrest High School. Bobcats. Twin Falls had beaten its district foe four times already this year, but in the district championship, Burley was the first conference opponent to steal a set from Twin Falls. Plus the Bobcats were coming off an emotional comeback win over
Sandpoint in the prior round. Unlike the Lakers of Los Angeles, Twin Falls didn’t have to wait to find their Robert Horry. Carly Gandolfo, a junior who had played in just 28 sets all year, was inserted into the first set of the match, and she immediately made a difference.
The first set was still close when she came in, and the Bruins looked to be having some residual effects of the disappointing loss to Idaho Falls. Gandolfo came in with a wide smile, and the difference in the players’ demeanors was staggering. Gandolfo had several kills and
quarterback Troy Williams signed with Washington out of high school as one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the country. He transferred after Petersen took over the program in 2014. After a year of junior college, Williams has thrown for 1,725 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions this season with the Utes. Williams has made it clear that he’s been anticipating the chance to play the Huskies for years. “I don’t want to say revenge,” Williams said. “I’m just excited to go out there and play against them. There’s a lot of motivation behind this game. No hard feelings. No love lost.” BROWNOUT: Washington sophomore quarterback Jake Browning is No. 2 in the nation in passing efficiency (199.62), No. 3 in passing yards per attempt (9.9) tied for No. 3 in touchdown passes (26) and No. 8 in completion percentage (68.6). “He’s just gotten better at everything, particularly pass completion percentage,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “You can just see his growth and development in all areas. He’s bigger, stronger, making great decisions. People have tried everything. There’s nothing schematically that hasn’t been tried at one time or another in the last seven games.” ___ More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org
a big block during the first two sets. Twin Falls won both of them. By the third set, the Bruins were cruising. Twin Falls swept Burley by scores of 25-17, 27-25, and 25-15. “You just have to keep the team happy and content, and be ready to play. When the team is down, that’s when you have to be especially high,” said Gandolfo. “All year, even when I’ve been substituted out, or I’m not playing, I still feel like I’m on the court. I’m cheering and celebrating points. It’s all about that communication.” Gandolfo’s energy sparked the team in what was undoubtedly the most important game of the season. The young Bruins are still learning how to deal with adversity, but role players like Gandolfo take some of that heavy burden off of the team’s stars. “We told her that we had a few things we wanted her to do when she went in. Not only did she do them; she excelled at them. She was our intensity that game. She’s a great kid, and you can see that in how excited everyone else on the team is for her,” said Price. “She’ll remember this. She’ll remember tonight.” With the win, the Bruins advance to take on Bishop Kelly, who eliminated six-time defending state champion Century, at 9 a.m. Saturday. If they win, they will take on the loser of the 11 a.m. game between Idaho Falls and Skyview at 1 p.m. “We have a long road ahead of us to get to where we want to go, but it’s one thing at a time right now. For now, we’re on to Bishop Kelly. We’ll see what happens after that,” said Price.