Juan Diego's trip to Idaho

It was another Fall trip to Eastern Idaho, and this time the weather wasn't so good. A cold front recently blew it and, when it's cool in Salt Lake, that means it's cold in Pocatello.

The Deseret News sent me to Poky to cover the Juan Diego at Highland (Idaho) game. Actually, I volunteered to do it. I enjoy Pocatello and, this time, I was able to bring my kids. I have two daughters. They don't enjoy football much, but they did enjoy staying in a hotel, walking around the Minidome (Holt Arena). Plus, since this game was played on a Thursday night, we incorporated it with a visit to Boise to celebrate my birthday and see relatives.

We drove up the day of the game, with an hour stop at Smith & Edwards in North Ogden. I hadn't been there in years, and the kids loved browsing. We also found a bunch of old things (candy mostly) that you can't find these days. It brought back a lot of memories.

Once we arrived in Pocatello, we checked in at the Holiday Inn and spent an hour in their indoor swimming pool. I wanted to go to my favorite restaurant - Buddy's - but we didn't have time. We saved it until after the game.

The game didn't go well ... at least for Juan Diego. Highland won 28-3, and looked good doing it. More bad news for the Soaring Eagle. They had three players who seemed to be hurt seriously (DL Dan Jimenez, RB Lars Gunderson and LB Bryson Pitcher). Afterward, JD coach John Colosimo said they could be out for the season. Playing this game could hurt the team's post-season chances in Utah.

Highland dominated the line of scrimmage, especially on defense. JD never got its running game going. The Soaring Eagle's biggest plays came when QB Cody Stevenson connected with Keegan Anderson on a flare pass out of the backfield. Anderson would go in motion, then Stevenson would hit him immediately on a laser throw as he turned upfield. Highland never stopped that play, but JD only ran it twice.

Stephenson also seemed to have trouble on snaps. JD only had a one or two fumbled snaps, but the snaps just didn't seem crisp, and Stephenson sometimes didn't get the ball cleanly. Perhaps they should snapped the ball from the shotgun formation? I don't know. I'm not a coach.

Highland's QB, Tanner Nielson, had a decent night throwing the football. The Rams use a ball control passing offense and JD had trouble stopping it. Thus, Highland controlled the time of possession and, in a 48-minute game, that also limited JD's possessions.

There were some highlights for the visiting team. Here's what I noticed:

* - The team traveled well. That is, there were a lot of JD fans, almost as many as the home team. I know it wasn't a pleasant trip back to SLC but they do support their team.

* - Lighting in domed stadiums is often not too good. I spoke to a JD photographer, and she pointed out that the lighting was great. Judging from her photos, which you can find at www.shootingstar.photoreflect.com, that was true. The people who operate this site shoot photos for Judge Memorial, Juan Diego, Westminster and more. It's awesome.

* - Juan Diego kicker Jaron Bentrude scored the team's only points - a 46-yard field goal. He boomed it, and it cleared the crossbar with plenty of room to spare. Afterward, I spoke to Bentrude on the sideline and he said, "I didn't hit it well." There were others on the sideline that said ISU (Idaho State) kickers can't do what Bentrude did. I hope that made him feel better.

* - I interviewed both coaches after the game. As you can guess, JD coach Colosimo was rather solemn. The loss didn't both him much, but the injuries did. And I don't think you can blame the artificial surface. Highland just beat up JD. The busiest person on JD's sideline were the trainers. There were a lot of delays because of the injuries. I don't recall Highland having too many injuries, though.

* - Highland coach Gino Mariana said his team went 3-1 against Utah schools this year, and wants to play more Utah teams next year. I guess his league will lose a team next season, which will mean he will need another non-league opponent. He would like to play Highland (Utah) again, Mountain Crest or Sky View. He figures Judge Memorial and Juan Diego won't want a rematch because Highland dominated them this year. I'm very familiar with Highland football. They have good talent, but playing here in the dome is a big home-field advantage for them.

* - Highland publishes its own game program. It's about 20 pages, black-and-white. It sells for $1. It's not a beautiful publication by any means, but it is put together by school's Advanced Journalism class. I found that interesting. It's the only school that I know that does that. Good for them.

Overall, I felt badly for Juan Diego. Nobody likes to see injuries, especially so many of them. It was a good experience for the team, though. When I played, road trips often brought the team closer together. This could hurt them (due to the injuries), or it could help. Only time will tell.

I did keep statistics from the game. Here they are:

Juan Diego 0 0 0 3 - 3
Highland 7 7 14 0 - 28

H - Kai Campbell 3 pass from Tanner Nielson (Paul Muzzo kick)
H - Tanner Nielson 1 run (Muzzo kick)
H - Kai Campbell 14 pass from Tanner Nielson (Muzzo kick)
H - Ean Filiaga 15 run (Muzzo kick)
JD - FG Jaron Bentrude 46

Team statistics

First downs - Juan Diego 11, Highland 20
Rushes-Yards - Juan Diego 30-80, Highland 30-100
Passing yards - Juan Diego 78, Highland 197
Passes - Juan Diego 5-11-2, Highland 20-29-0
Fumbles - Juan Diego 3-2, Highland 1-0
Penalties - Juan Diego 8-45, Highland 7-69
Punts - Juan Diego 2-34.0, Highland 2-42.0

Individual statistics

RUSHING - Juan Diego, Vea 13-73, Gunderson 6-13, Garn 3-9, Stevenson 8-(-15). Highland - Filiaga 6-34, Campbell 6-24, Gonzales 6-22, Castillo 3-9, Nielson 5-3, Rasmussen 1-(-4).

PASSING: Juan Diego, Stevenson 5-11-2-78. Highland, Nielson 20-29-0-197.

RECEIVING: Juan Diego, Bentrude 2-29, Anderson 2-25, Gunderson 1-24. Highland, Rasmussen 6-79, Castillo 5-49, Filiaga 3-24, Campbell 3-14, Schiess 2-27, Evans 1-4.

MISSED FIELD GOALS: None


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