Fruitland/Weiser Rematch and the Cinderella Story of the Playoffs

The Fruitland Grizzlies did not expect to dominate their opponents like they have done throughout the first 10 games of the season and if there ever was a year where Weiser would steal the spotlight away from Fruitland, it would be this year.  On October 21st, Fruitland diminished those hopes winning 36-12 and in doing that, they secured home field advantage throughout the postseason. 

When the 3A playoff bracket was finalized, the first thing I noticed was that these two schools would meet in the semifinals, not the state championship.  Weiser hurdled over their two roadblocks to get this far and I am expecting a closer game than what happened 3 weeks ago.  The Grizzlies offense is tough to prepare for, but when you see it consistently, it can make life easier on the opposing coach.  After watching Fruitland last week in person, I now have a better understanding of the domination they have had on the rest of the 3A for the past decade and I expect that to continue on Saturday as Fruitland will roll on to the state championship.

The only team remaining from District 3 in the 2A Bracket is the ultimate surprise of the playoffs.  Head Coach Porter Lacy and New Plymouth shocked the rest of the state scoring 43 points in the second half on their way to beating Nampa Christian and setting up a showdown with Firth for the right to go to the state championship.  Even though the combined record between New Plymouth and Firth is under .500, these teams are finshing their groove at the right time. 

Tune into the show today to hear from Coach Lacy and the Cinderella story of New Plymouth.