District 5 Week 7 recap: Century, American Falls, Preston, Malad win to keep playoff hopes alive; West Side, Rockland stay perfect
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EASTERN IDAHO — With the state tournament now less than a month away, local teams are battling to stay in contention.
After earning key Week 7 victories on Friday, Century stayed in the 5A playoff race while American Falls and Preston kept themselves in the thick of the 4A race. In the East Idaho Sports District 5 Game of the Week, Malad beat Aberdeen for the first time in 15 years to stay alive in the 3A playoff race.
Meanwhile, Rockland and West Side both earned one-sided wins to stay perfect on the season and remain frontrunners to push for state titles.
Here is what happened last week in District 5 football action:
6A
The Highland Rams (3-4, 0-1) saw their three-game winning streak come to an end against the Madison Bobcats (6-1, 1-0) and their stingy defense.
RELATED | A fourth-quarter offensive surge helps lift Madison over Highland in big conference clash
After stifling the Rams en route to a 17-6 victory, Madison leads all 6A teams in the state, allowing 4.57 points per game.
The Highland defense hung tough in its conference opener and went into the fourth quarter leading 6-0. But 17 unanswered points in the final period were the game’s deciding factor.
Senior linebacker Malakai Mitchell led the Rams’ defensive efforts with a game-high 12 tackles.
The Rams will be back in action Friday, hosting the Rigby Trojans (6-1, 1-0)
5A
The Pocatello Thunder (1-6, 0-5) lost their fifth consecutive game Friday, falling 17-10 at the Shelley Russets (3-4, 2-3).
Pocatello dipped deeper into the 5A District 5-6 cellar, but will have two more shots to win conference games, beginning this Friday when they host Blackfoot (4-3, 4-1).
The Century Diamondbacks (3-4, 2-3) won their second game in as many weeks, beating the Bonneville Bees (3-4, 2-3) 21-12 on the road.
Century is currently ranked 13th among 5A teams, according to MaxPreps — behind the Bees, who sit at No. 12.
The Diamondbacks will host the Idaho Falls Tigers (3-4, 2-3) this Friday, and could jump into a playoff spot with a win.
4A
Leaning on a solid defensive effort and a standout performance from running back Thorne Rose, the American Falls Beavers (4-3, 1-0) opened their conference schedule with a victory over Bear Lake (4-3, 0-1).
The Beaver defense held the Bears to eight points, with Rose scoring two rushing touchdowns in a 16-8 victory.
American Falls and Preston (2-4, 1-0) both find themselves in the hunt for a state berth, via either a conference championship or an at-large bid. American Falls is currently ranked 10th among 4A teams, according to MaxPreps.
Preston, who snuck past Snake River (0-7, 0-1) on Friday, is sitting at 12th. One week after upsetting South Fremont in an offensive shootout, Preston beat the Panthers in a defensive struggle, 15-13.
Preston will visit Bear Lake this week, while American Falls hosts Snake River.
3A
The Malad Dragons (5-2, 3-0) beat the Aberdeen Tigers (4-3, 1-1) 14-3, for their fifth win of the season. The last time Malad won as many as five games in a season was 2011, which was also the last time the Dragons beat Aberdeen.
RELATED | Malad flips script, dominates defensively for first victory over Aberdeen in 15 years
Despite the win, Malad still finds itself behind Aberdeen in the MaxPreps rankings. The Dragons sit at 11, while the Tigers are 10th, according to the ranking system used to determine state tournament at-large berths and seeding.
At the top of the MaxPreps 3A rankings is the West Side Pirates (7-0, 2-0), who stayed perfect with a 40-6 victory at Marsh Valley (0-7, 0-3) on Thursday.
Malad will host No. 2 Declo on Friday, while Aberdeen visits West Side. Soda Springs (2-4, 0-2), coming off a bye, will host the Eagles.
2A
The Grace Grizzlies (2-5, 0-0) won via forfeit by Flint Creek (MT).
The Challis Vikings (1-5, 0-1) earned their first win since moving to the 2A division, beating former 1A conference foe Sho-Ban (0-6, 0-2). Both teams posted season highs in points in Challis’ 48-28 home win.
Challis will be at Grace this Friday.
1A
The Rockland Bulldogs (7-0, 2-0) continued to rampage through their conference, beating the Mackay Miners (4-4, 2-1) 61-8. Senior quarterback Xavier Parrish did the heavy lifting for the Bulldogs, accounting for seven touchdowns, six passing and one rushing, and more than 370 total yards of offense.
Rockland has scored 60 or more points in every game this week, while allowing more than 13 in just one game.
The Bulldogs will be on the road this week, visiting Watersprings (3-3, 0-2), which is coming off a loss at North Gem (5-3, 2-1).
For the Cowboys, it was a second win in as many weeks, a 66-12 home victory over the Warriors.
The Sho-Ban Chiefs will be at Mackay on Friday, rounding out the 1A Continental Divide Conference schedule for the week.
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