POCATELLO — The Grace Grizzlies flexed their muscles Friday night at the ICCU Dome, dominating the Prairie Pirates from start to finish en route to a 40-16 2A quarterfinals victory.
The No. 4 Grizzlies (9-1) used their explosive offense and ball-hawking defense to cruise past the No. 5 Pirates (7-4) and earn a showdown with the top-seeded Kendrick Tigers (10-0) in next week’s semifinals.
Grace came out guns blazing from the start, taking the opening possession and marching the length of the field for a touchdown and immediate 6-0 lead. As has been the case all season, the Grizzlies were led down the field by senior quarterback Gavin Draper, who ran for 15 yards and threw for another 49, including a 19-yard scoring strike to fellow senior Bryant Moss.
After forcing a three-and-out from Prairie, Draper and the Grizzlies were right back on the offensive going 61 yards for another score. Most of that ground was covered on a 44-yard bomb from Draper to sophomore Kade Kimball.
Gavin Draper drops a deep ball right into the open arms of Kade Kimball for a 44-yard score in the first quarter of Grace’s victory. | Kyle Riley, EastIdahoSports.com
Draper just missed on a seam route on the Grizzlies’ first possession, for what would have been an easy score had he not overthrown his receiver by the slightest. He didn’t miss again, connecting on five touchdown throws, of 19, 44, 48, 26 and 24 yards.
He finished the game completing 22 of 34 passes for 324 yards — to go with those five scores — while rushing the ball seven times for 20 yards (including a pair of sacks for a loss of 12).
Playing eight-man football, Draper, like most of his teammates, also played defense — ironman football. Two players who made their impact felt on both sides of the ball were seniors Carter Kimball (Kade’s older brother) and Parker Yost.
Carter hauled in a 26-yard touchdown pass while carrying the rock three times for 16 yards. He also recorded a pair of interceptions as a defensive back.
He called his team’s performance “awesome,” adding that it was extra special for him.
Carter broke his leg just over a month ago, causing him to miss his team’s last five games. Friday’s game was his first back from the injury.
“It’s just really special: here in the Dome, in the playoffs, with the guys I love, it’s just amazing,” he said.
Yost was on the receiving end of Draper’s 48-yard scoring strike, finishing the night with two catches for 51 yards. He also recorded three sacks from his defensive end position.
He said that the key to playing on both sides of the ball, with few breaks if any, is having a strong mental fortitude — adding that it is key to not show fatigue even when it is felt.
Grace’s Carter Kimball (left) and Parker Yost each made plays on both sides of the ball, earning East Idaho Sports Game Ball. | Kalama Hines, EastIdahoSports.com
The Grizzlies held a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and quickly added onto it, taking a 20-0 advantage less than two minutes into the second. Prairie was never within two scores of Grace again.
They will need that sort of relentless performance when the Grizzlies travel to Lewiston to take on No. 1-seeded Kendrick.
The Tigers have scored 90-plus three times this season, including a 102-0 victory over Clearwater Valley. They have also been stout defensively, holding opponents to a total of 60 points across 10 games this season — a high of 24, against Logos.
Kendrick earned its spot in next week’s semifinals with an 80-6 victory over Notus Friday.
The key to competing with a monster like that, according to Carter, is continuing to march forth and focus only on the things you can control.
“We’ve just got to keep rolling, keep pushing forward,” he said. “We need to just keep doing what we’re doing. Don’t change anything.”
“Kendrick is going to be a tough team,” Yost added. “We just have to keep taking it one play at a time — win every single play.”
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