Highland, Madison set to meet in season finale with playoff seeding on the line

POCATELLO — The Highland Rams, currently ranked 8th in 6A football according to MaxPreps, are set to host the No. 6-ranked Madison Bobcats Friday in a game that will have major playoff implications.

Highland (6-2, 1-1) is coming off a decisive 31-14 home win over perennial 5A power Skyline. The Bobcats (5-3, 1-1) are fresh off their own victory over a 5A power, Minico. Both squads will be on the prowl for a statement win in hopes of favorable seeding when the state tournament starts next week.

The Rams and Bobcats already own double-digit conference wins over Thunder Ridge (2-6, 0-2), as parts of two impressive resumes.

And while Madison played the conference champion Trojans (7-1, 2-0) to a tight 23-19 loss on Oct. 10, the Rams took a much more one-sided defeat at the hands of Rigby, 52-21, a week prior.

Those two outcomes are likely the lone differentiator for the MaxPreps standings — which are used to determine playoff seeding — as Highland holds an advantage based on the Idaho Sports power rankings. Madison’s 31.17 is just behind’s the Rams’ 36.00.

For comparison’s sake, Rigby holds a 44.50 power ranking — well behind 6A leader Eagle, with an 87.50.

Similarly, Highland is ranked fifth in this week’s media poll, while Madison was left unranked receiving just one voting point.

Long story short, Friday’s Madison-Highland game will go a long in deciding seeding as well as home-field advantages.

For the Bobcats, the game plan will start with stopping Highland’s all-everything star Cedric Mitchell. The junior running back is fourth in 6A football with 753 rushing yards. His nine rushing touchdowns are tied for third-most in the class, and he is just as effective in the passing game hauling in 24 catches for 391 yards and three more scores.

Teams, like Lake City and Pocatello, have shown that slowing Mitchell leaves the Ram offense scrambling.

But slowing the explosive back for four quarters proved too much for both of those teams, as big second halves for Mitchell were the deciding factors in both games.

If the Bobcats can limit Mitchell for 48 minutes, it will make the task of earning a road win over the Rams — their since 2012 — much easier.

The game is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m.