Greetings from Pocatello

It's early September and the weather is still pretty nice in Pocatello. I kind of "volunteered" to cover the Rocky Mountain Rumble here at Holt Arena because I enjoy coming here.

Why? For the football, of course.

Hardly. Pocatello is the home of Idaho State University, and the Bengals have been pathetic since my freshman year in college. That was a long time ago, although I do remember that vividly.

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I noticed that four Utah teams would be playing four Idaho teams here in the Rocky Mountain Rumble. Since I am from Idaho, and know the Idhao teams, too, I thought it was a good idea. It also gave me a chance to get out of town and hit Buddy's, a local Italian restaurant in Pocatello and well worth the visit.

First, let me hit on Buddy's. This restaurant is known for its salads. It has a garlic viniagrette dressing that is amazing. It keeps me coming back.

I left Salt Lake early Saturday morning and made it plenty of time for the 11 a.m. kickoff for the first game (Sky View vs. Lake City, which is from Coeur d'Alene). I suppose they scheduled this game so Lake City could hop on its bus and have plenty of time to head home afterward.

Sky View buried Lake City, 41-7. The game was close early, but then Sky View was the dominant team. QB Kyler Carlson had a decent game passing the football, completing 18 of 29 passes for 205 yards and three TDs.

Frankly, I was most impressed with Sky View's ability to rally. Since this game was Saturday, I was supposed to send text messages to James Edward, the prep sports editor for the Deseret News, to keep him informed. He was doing a radio show that morning. That way, he could provide the listeners with score updates. It was 7-0 Lake City after the first quarter.

But Sky View came back with 20 points in the second period. When it was time to send him a text, his radio show was over. So, most people, I figured, thought Lake City was rolling to a victory.

It didn't happen. The big play was when Sky View blocked a punt and then Jamison Carroll recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown. That gave Sky View a 20-7 lead and Lake City never recovered. They should have just got on the bus after that.

I wrote my game story, and then it was lunchtime. I skipped the first half of the Bear River-Minico game and went to my hotel, and then over to Buddy's, where I put down one of their amazing salads. Ahhhhh.

I got back at halftime. Minico, which is from Rupert, Idaho, had this one in hand. The Spartans led 15-7 and Bear River fans thought they were in trouble.

The Bears rallied in the second half, though, and won 31-21.

The Rocky Mountain Rumble people in the press box were having trouble with their computerized statistics program, so they couldn't help me. Hey, I missed the first half.

So, after I interviewed the coaches and players, I interviewed a few others to get first-half info. I spoke to some great Bear River fans, and I also found the Bear River radio announcer. Apparently, the game was broadcast on the radio back to Tremonton. Sweeet. I got lucky.

I met a lot of neat Bear River fans. They were class acts and, when I told them I was representing the Deseret News, they were more than happy to help me. In return, I told them about the best restuarant in Pocatello. I hope many of them went to Buddy's before they left town.

There were two late games. Mountain Crest played Pocatello, and then the two Highlands met. I was anxious to see Mountain Crest, especially QB Alex Kuresa. He wasn't that impressive, though, because Pocatello blitzed him to death. He was running for his life on almost every play.

Speaking of that, the first play was great. Mountain Crest kicked off, and its kicker hit a line drive that nailed the Poky player right in the helmet at the 20-yard line. The ball bounced straight ahead and Mountain Crest recovered.

The Mustangs scored within the first minute of the game. Soon afterward, it was 12-0. After that, Poky started blitzing and Kuresa was in trouble. Keep in mind, too, that the Indians had thousands of fans and soon gained the momentum.

Mountain Crest didn't recover until the fourth quarter, and then put together a couple of drives to beat Pocatello. It wasn't the Mustangs best game, but it was good enough to grab the win. I wouldn't give Kuresa the game ball, but he did show a lot of agility while trying to evade the Poky pass rush.

Afterward, I interviewed the Pocatello coach. He was a great guy, and he told me that they had put a lot of thought in how to beat Mountain Crest. Poky had a detailed game plan, and it wasn't good enough.

The last game was the Highland (Idaho) vs. Highland (Utah). I didn't know it at the time, but I guess these teams played back in 1976. I'll have to check on that. I was somewhat worried about this game.

Why? Well, it was supposed to start at 8 p.m., but it was later. It was also a game between two schools named Highland, both named Rams and they had the same school colors. Just so you know, Highland, of Salt Lake, opened six years before Highland of Pocatello. So, if you want to know who copied who? Now you know.

This was a great game. Highland of Idaho won 19-17. I know that's important, but I was more impressed with how both teams handled themselves during the game - and afterward. This was an intense contest that wasn't decided until Highland (Idaho) kicker Paul Muzzo nailed a short (21-yard) field goal with four seconds left.

When it was over, I went onto the field of the ISU Minidome, which is now called Holt Arena. I walked right near both teams, and they were class acts. After such an emotional game, they both had respect for each other, and it showed.

Frankly, these teams should play each other EVERY year. Why not? Highland vs. Highland? What a great rivalry.

Highland, of Idaho, had an impressive passing game led by QB Tanner Nielson and RB Kai Campbell. Highland, of Utah, showed a strong running game led by RB Toi Taufa. He's a big 225-pounder who carried a bunch of guys on his back. Taufa finished with 139 yards on 20 carries. This guy was a stud.

Highland, of Utah, turned the ball over too many times early, which caused it to fall behind. However, they came back to even took the lead 17-16 late in the game. Everyone was on their feet in the final minutes until the game was decided.

But nobody left. After the game, the Rocky Mountain Rumble people handed out trophies and everyone cheered. It was an amazing event.

I could post statistics from each game, but it's not important. I stayed overnight at the Holiday Inn and had a great time. Yes, the games were indoors, and on astroturf, but I didn't see any bad injuries.

Highland, of Utah, coach Brody Benson told me afterward that his team had made "turned a corner" in that game. He believed it, and so did I.

It was a pleasure to be there.