Bonners Ferry (3-3) @ Moscow (1-5), 7 p.m. 

MOSCOW — After their lone bye week of the season, the Bonners Ferry Badgers return to action for a key showdown in the Intermountain League against the Moscow Bears. 

The matchup is the first of the Badgers’ two league games, which will decide Bonners Ferry’s postseason fate. If Bonners Ferry wants to repeat as league champs, they’ll need a bounce-back effort from their offense, which was shut out in their last game against Logos and hasn’t mustered over 14 points since Sept. 4 against St. Maries. 

That will start with senior quarterback and offensive stat leader Alex Stolley. Bonners Ferry’s quarterback leads the team in rushing and passing yards but has struggled to run the ball as of late.  

Luckily for Bonners Ferry, they travel to a Moscow team that has struggled to stop the run. The Bears gave up over 200 rushing yards to Sandpoint last week, so look for Stolley, junior Colton Baisden and sophomore Max Thompson to take advantage of the Bears’ run defense as the Badgers aim to get their ship righted. 

The Badgers have also been bitten by the turnover bug in their last three games, which has stifled much of their offensive momentum to begin games. A clean game will be required from the offense as Moscow’s offense, especially senior quarterback Keaton Frei, can pack a serious punch if given the opportunity. 

Containing Frei will be a job for the Badgers’ front-7, which excelled early in the season at limiting quarterbacks. A stellar day from senior Jake Solt and junior Kale Mielke would go a long way in helping the Badgers rebound after three straight losses. 

If he does escape the pressure, Frei is a big play hunter. The Bonners Ferry secondary, made up of Riston Allred, Cooper Higgins, Baisden and Stolley, will need to be on their A-game to ensure that the Bears don’t steal the momentum with chunk plays early in this contest. 

The Intermountain League game will kick off at 7 p.m. PDT in Moscow. The game will be streamed live on the NFHS Network for those who want to tune in but can’t make the trip south.