Reigning champ West Side bows out in semis with loss to Nampa Christian

POCATELLO — West Side head coach Tyson Moser dug deep into his playbook Friday night at the ICCU Dome, trying to match the offensive output of the Nampa Christian Trojans. The Pirates ran a double-reverse pass and a hook-and-ladder.

For all the nifty play-calling, though, West Side’s most offensively impactful play came from offensive tackle-defensive end Chet Ward.

Ward sprang through the middle of the Trojan line to block a punt, setting up West Side’s first score of the game early in the third quarter.

That would be the only offense mustered by the two-time reigning champions Pirates (8-2), as they fell, 20-8, to No. 6 Nampa Christian (8-2).

Neither team was able to sustain drives, leaving their semifinal outcome to be decided by big plays. And the Trojans had far more of those.

Nampa Christian quarterback Pete Dice connected on a trio of longballs — for 52, 39 and 66 yards.

West Side’s lone explosive offensive play, on the other hand, came when quarterback Jaden Fuller completed a hook pass to Jayden Coats, who then pitched back to a sprinting Drake Sage. Sage scampered up the sideline for 25 yards — amounting to nearly half of Fuller’s 58 passing yards on the night.

Fuller, who completed five of his 12 attempts for the game, was intercepted three times, putting West Side’s chances even further behind the eight-ball.

Dice completed 13-of-18 throws for 228 yards and three scores.

West Side got its hands on the ball four times in the first half, resulting in one punt, one turnover on downs and two interceptions. The Trojans turned their four first-half possessions into a pair of touchdowns and a 13-0 halftime lead.

Moser fine-tuned some things during the break, and Nampa Christian had a much more difficult time moving the ball in the second half. But the Pirate never could get rolling.

The running back tandem of Sage and Micah Benavidez combined to carry the ball 29 times for 120 yards and one score. The duo came into Friday’s semifinal round averaging more than 200 combined yards per game.

A passing game that is not often asked to carry a heavy load, and was not equipped to overcome the sluggish rushing attack.

Ward, whose block set up a touchdown run from Benavidez three minutes into the second half, kept West Side’s fading hopes alive with just under three minutes remaining in the game, when he blocked a Trojans field goal attempt. But the Pirates could not parlay that play into points.

With their defeat, West Side’s hunt for a third consecutive state championship came to an end.

Nampa Christian will face the top-seeded Ririe Bulldogs (11-0), and Kolter Lewis, who leads the state in rushing touchdowns and rushing yards, needing less than 200 to top the 2,000-yard mark for the year.