Pocatello overwhelms Jerome, thunders into state tournament

POCATELLO — The Pocatello Thunder are state tournament-bound after beating the Jerome Tigers in Saturday’s play-in game.

After finishing third in the 5A District 5-6, the Thunder (13-7-2, 11-5-1) earned a spot in the winner-take-all round as the state’s No. 6-ranked 5A team. They hosted No. 10 Jerome (11-7-1) at Lookout Field, with the winner advancing into the state tournament and the loser packing it in for the winter.

Pocatello was led to a 7-0 victory by the play of a veteran star and a freshman up-and-comer.

Asked how he felt his team performed after the game, Thunder head coach Mark Wetstein said, overall, he was proud of the way they played.

“I’m proud of this team for not giving in — proud of this team for not just checking out,” he said. “I’m proud of this team for coming out here and not just winning a game but really showing what they’re capable of.”

It took just two minutes for freshman Xavi Griggs to open the scoring, cashing in on a perfect cross from fellow freshman Oaklee Pool.

For a team coming off a rough showing at the district tournament, where they went 1-2 with their lone win coming on penalty kicks, the Thunder started Saturday’s game with some anxiousness. But, as Wetstein said, Griggs’ goal settled that anxiousness straight away.

“So much relief — and it was a freshman assist to the freshman score, so not just relief for this season but relief moving forward,” the coach told EastIdahoSports.com.

Griggs added a second goal, to go with four scores from senior Aryanna Gonzalez, the last of which was the 100th in her incredible career.

According to Wetstein, Pocatello did not keep the best records before he and his coaching staff arrived, so he is not sure whether Gonzalez is the first Thunder to score 100 goals, but he is confident she is.

“It’s crazy-impressive and probably a first for the school,” the coach said. “That’s got to be a first for Poky history. … We’ve had some big goal-scorers, but Ary’s consistency throughout her entire four years here, that’s why she’s got those 100 goals — it’s wildly impressive.”

Making it all the more impressive is the fact that Gonzalez missed half of her junior season due to a knee injury, which now forces her to wear a massive knee brace.

While Gonzalez really wanted to score her 100th at home, which she did in the 60th minutes before being removed for a sub, she said the team was solely focused on winning the game and getting back to the state tournament.

“We all just came in really wanting (a win), and played with the energy that we really wanted it,” she said.

According to Gonzalez, Pocatello played nervously in its 4-0 loss to Skyline in the first round of the district tournament. Some of those nerves were relieved when Pocatello beat Idaho Falls on PK’s in the second round, leading to a hard-fought 2-1 loss to the Grizzlies in the second-place game.

Now, with a big playoff win under their collective belt, the Thunder have lifted those nerves and will head to the state tournament with a different feeling.

“Going in, we know we want it, and we know that we are fully capable of winning against these teams,” she said. “We know what we have on the field, and we know how much it means to everyone. We’re going in with lots of confidence.”

Two years removed from a state championship, and coming off one of the biggest upset wins at last year’s state tournament — beating Twin Falls before falling to Hillcrest in the third-place game — Wetstein believes no one will want to face his Thunder next week.

“We’re not going away,” the coach said.

Pocatello will be joined by district rivals Hillcrest, the district tournament champion, and Skyline, and possibly Idaho Falls, who face Sandpoint in another play-in game on Saturday, at the state tournament. That means it is almost certain the Thunder will face at least one district foe.

Including the district tournament, the Thunder went 0-3-1 against Skyline this year. They went 0-2 against Hillcrest and 3-0 against Idaho Falls. To turn the tides against the Grizzlies, Pocatello, Wetstein said, will need to be mentally focused and positive.

“Going in with the attitude that we’re going to have to work our a**es off,” he said. “It’s gonna be hard, and they need to support each other.”