3 Idaho powerhouses, 3 losses

VALE – Later this season, members of the Vale football team will have no reason to attend the Idaho state 3A football final game. It is likely the Vikings will have already seen one or both of the future two teams battling it out for the Idaho state title.

After falling to Weiser and Gooding the past two weeks, the Viks faced the Homedale Trojans on Friday, October 4 before a sparse home crowd. For Vale fans, the game saw the Vikings suffer one of the worst losses in recent history. After holding the Vikings scoreless in the first half, the Trojans rolled to a 65-12 win in a second half played under the state’s mercy rule.

Homedale is a team unlike any Vale has faced this year. Facing four-year starting quarterback Danny Uranga, the Viking defense allowed Homedale to amass 491 yards in just the first half. The Trojans scored 26 points in the first quarter followed by an additional 26 points in the second quarter.

The Homedale defense was stifling, holding the Viks to 187 yards for the game. Quarterback Colton Kesey was held to under 100 yards passing, going 11-for-28 for 92 yards and was picked off three times. The Vale running game was also held in check with freshman Eli Aldred leading the team with 35 yards on six carries, all of those coming late in the second half.

For Homedale, Uranga was close to perfect, going 9-for-10 for 205 yards and no interceptions. The Trojan running game saw Karsen Freelove run wild, carrying 12 times for 163 yards and three scores.

For the Vale fans staying until the buzzer, a last second score provided something to talk about on the trip home. With no time on the clock, Tanner Steele connected with Jason Ponce for a Vale touchdown. The other Viking score also came in the fourth quarter as Steele connected with John Wolfe on a 17-yard pass play with just over nine minutes left in the game.

As stated above, Vale fans, take heart. The Idaho media poll ranks Homedale second in the state with Weiser ranked third. Gooding sits in the fifth slot.

Vale opens the 3A Special District 3 (the old Eastern Oregon League) with a homecoming game versus Nyssa on Friday. The Bulldogs opened the season on Friday, October 4, with a 22-7 victory over Umatilla. In the state standings, Nyssa is ranked tenth while Vale holds the 16th slot.