Priest River 72, Orofino 0 

PRIEST RIVER — Few Priest River Spartans didn’t score touchdowns on Friday night as the home team obliterated their visiting Central Idaho League foe, Orofino. 

The Spartans went to the halftime break up 56-0 thanks to a dominant performance from star running back Colton Kuprienko and quarterback Jacob Best. Kuprienko scored twice on just five carries and added five 2-point conversions, totaling 78 yards, while Best threw for two touchdowns on six completions for 148 yards. 

“Boys came out strongly. Came out and played Spartan football from the get,” Priest River head coach Alex Zepeda said. “It's great as far as homecoming. It's always a good homecoming win for the community, especially in a big win like this.” 

One of those Best touchdowns was a 27-yard pitch and catch to Madden Redinger for his lone offensive catch of the night. Redinger added a pick-6 on defense, his second of the year, to round out an impressive day. 

Seniors Nate Fegert and Haiden Leach ran for a pair of touchdowns apiece. Both Spartans only had four carries each but made the most of them against the Maniacs.  

“We had touchdowns everywhere, which is always great,” Zepeda said. “And we get some of our seniors the ball.” 

Defensively, the Spartans posted their second shutout in their last four games. Priest River has now allowed only 14 points over the last four games as the Spartans have risen to 4-1 and 2-0 in league play. 

“To have 14 points over four weeks is awesome,” Zepeda said. “I mean, our defense is playing great, and we put backups in there, and they're still doing their job.” 

Zepeda used the massive lead as an opportunity to give many of his backups significant playing time. With a dominant victory, the Spartans’ head coach said he doesn’t want to let mistakes slip through the cracks and make sure his team is focused on the little things. 

“Mistakes can happen, and they don't feel as much pressure to correct them because it still worked, right?” Zepeda said. “So yeah, we scored 72 points, but you know, did you do the backside hits? Did you do your down block? Did you have all the little details that matter?" 

The Central Idaho League victory is another step toward defending the team’s league title from a year ago. Zepeda said he feels very confident in his team’s ability to make a run as long as they continue to improve week to week. 

“This team is a real deal, and I told them the first couple weeks that this team is different from anyone I’ve ever coached,” Zepeda said. “There's no quit in them; you saw that last week against Newport. I’m excited to see what’s in store for them.” 

Priest River will host their home finale and senior night next week against CIL opponent Kellogg at 7 p.m. 

Priest River 24 32 8 8 — 72 

Orofino 0 0 0 0 — 0 

Clark Fork 56, Plains 0 

PLAINS — The two-headed backfield monster of Charlie Becker and Haylyn Ashford-Brown helped the Clark Fork Wampus Cats roll past the Plains Horsemen on Friday night in Montana. 

After posting two 70-yard touchdowns last week, Becker completed a hat trick against the Horsemen, scoring three times offensively and adding a pick-6 on defense. Clark Fork head coach Andre Johansen said Ashford-Brown was a key part of their running game, which has helped the Wampus Cats control their last two games. 

“They’re both pretty big and pretty physical, so it makes it tough [on the opponents],” Johansen said of his running backs.  

The Clark Fork defense smothered the Plains offense to the tune of five interceptions, including two that were returned for touchdowns by Becker and Mattias Raynor, respectively. Johansen said Jason Mayorga and Asford-Brown were key players on defense, finding their way to the ball on nearly every play. 

“We played super physical, and I think it was one of those games where they’re really starting to figure it out,” Johansen said of his Wampus Cats. “Defensively we played pretty sound, and we were just flying around getting to the ball. That was pretty awesome.”  

Mayorga and Cameron Stewart caught the two touchdown passes thrown by Wampus Cat quarterback Mateo Cruz. For his efforts, the senior quarterback also punched in a rushing score to help Clark Fork improve to 3-3 on the season. 

The Wampus Cats will head to Wallace next week for a rematch with a top team in 2A. The Miners beat the Wampus Cats 52-26 earlier this year, though Johansen said he’s hopeful the team will have a better showing next Friday at 7 p.m., as it would help Clark Fork’s chances at an at-large bid to state. 

“There’s a potential to get there, and I think the kids are excited about that, which is nice,” Johansen said. “You always want to have a shot.”