Priest River 26, Logos 7

PRIEST RIVER — How does a team slow an offense averaging 46 points per game? Key in on their quarterback, Baxton Covington, and star wideout, Nate Monjure, and make the easy plays difficult. 

At least that’s the answer that Priest River head coach Alex Zepeda and defensive coordinator Brandon Goins came up with, and it worked to a tee on Friday night. The Spartans limited the Logos Knights’ offense to just one score, beating the No. 5 team in 3A in dominant fashion at Spartan Stadium. 

Despite the lopsided final score, it was the Knights who took the early advantage with a score in the first quarter. Fresh off their second bye week in four weeks, Priest River settled into the game in the second quarter, asserting their dominance to the tune of a 14-7 lead. 

“We came out pretty flat in that first quarter and penalties kind of killed us, and I felt like we were kind of asleep,” Zepeda said. “Then the next three quarters, we started playing Spartan football again, and this is a big win, a big team win.

The Spartans’ defensive front only ended with one sack by senior Colton Kuprienko but controlled the line of scrimmage and forced Covington into mistakes. The Knight’s quarterback threw two interceptions, one caught by Kane Berns and the other by Geurin Wheeler. Kuprienko and Layton Goins also recovered a fumble each for a four-turnover day for Priest River’s defense. 

“It was important that we contain [Covington] in the pocket because he’s a heck of a runner, one of the top rushers in the state and then [Monjure] is his favorite wide receiver, and I felt like we did a great job on him,” Zepeda said. 

With the Knight’s offense clamped, the Spartans’ offense took advantage, who rode Kuprienko’s ground-game to victory. The Spartans’ star back carried the ball 32 times for 140 yards and one touchdown. Senior Nate Fegert toted the ball only seven times, but he made the most of those touches, scoring three times and totaling 100 yards on the night. 

Zepeda said the Spartans noticed the Knights’ defense tendency to slide their defensive line and took advantage by running against the slant. 

"We try to take advantage of that, then they eventually caught on to that and were attacking the boundaries, and then I got to attack the field,” Zepeda said. “So back and forth, it was a great football game, probably the longest game, I felt like, in my life, but it was a good win and super proud of the boys.” 

With the victory, Priest River moves to 2-1 on the season and stands 1-0 in Central Idaho League play. The Spartans will travel to local rival Newport for a non-league game next Friday at 7 p.m.

Priest River 0 14 6 6 26 

Logos 7 0 0 0 7 

Fruitland 41, Bonners Ferry 13 

BONNERS FERRY — Down six starters against the No. 3 team in 4A, Fruitland, the Bonners Ferry Badgers ran out of gas late on Friday and fell 41-13. 

Despite being shorthanded, the Badgers battled throughout the entire game and sent the contest to halftime down one point, 14-13. Chance Winkleseth and Samuel Brown scored the team’s two touchdowns on the ground, while quarterback Alex Stolley continued to drive the offense with 115 yards on 25 carries. 

"Couldn’t be more proud, down six starters, it was next man up and they played with absolutely everything until they had nothing left,” Bonners Ferry head coach Swift said. “We made some mistakes at key points... we kind of ran out of gas late, but these kids played their hearts out.” 

Swift said he told his team he was proud of their fight, especially his offensive and defensive fronts. Those groups made up of, Kale Mielke, Caden Bates, Austin McLaughlin, Zachariah Varelman, Logan DesMarais, Gabriel Warren and Zane Veder, will frequently play both ways and bear the brunt of a physical game like this one. 

While the loss takes Bonners Ferry down to 3-2 on the season, Swift said he feels as good as he ever has about this team. 

“This moment, this loss can be a catalyst for the rest of the season,” Swift said. 

The Badgers will try to reignite their season next week as they play host to Logos High for their homecoming weekend. Bonners Ferry will host the 3A school at 7 p.m. at Bonners Ferry High on Sept. 25. 

Bonners Ferry 0 13 0 0 13 

Fruitland 7 7 13 14 41

Superior 80, Clark Fork 26 

SUPERIOR — Clark Fork couldn’t keep up with one of the best 8-man offenses in Montana as the Bobcats cleared the Wampus Cats 80-26 in a non-league on Friday night in Superior. 

A full stat sheet was not received by the time of publication. The Wampus Cats fall to 1-3 on the season and will ready for a contest against Lakeside next Friday at Clark Fork High at 7 p.m.