'Rumble' broadens horizons

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tflagstad@journalnet.com

POCATELLO -- Whitney High junior Marissa Card never expected to travel to Idaho for a game when she became a cheerleader for the Wildcats.

"Oh, never," she said during a brief break from her duties during Whitney's 48-0 win over Idaho Falls on Saturday. "I didn't think I'd ever leave California."

But thanks to the Rocky Mountain Rumble, which matched up four high school football teams from California against four from Idaho at Holt Arena, Card, her fellow cheerleaders and the Wildcats team made the 682-mile trip by bus from Rocklin, Calif., to the Gate City.

The group made the 14-hour journey with only three pit stops along the way, but the voyage paid off with a big victory for the school, which opened four years ago. That, and Card and the cheerleaders got to perform at halftime.

The cadre from Whitney wasn't the only group that made the journey. Plenty of fans and cheerleaders traveled from the Sacramento area to support the three other California schools, as well. For all involved, the event provided an exciting opportunity, and it gave those in attendance a day of quality football.

"It's a big thing for high school football, Idaho football, playing some of the best teams out of California," said Highland defensive coordinator Chris Frost. "It's a heck of an experience for our young men."

It also gave the Gem State teams a chance to prove that they're just as good as the Californian powerhouses.

Idaho certainly delivered, as squads from the state won the first two contests of the day and finished 2-2 overall.

"It's not just about our program. It's huge for our community. We had tremendous support from our crowd today," Minico coach Tim Perrigot said after his team's 28-6 win over Colfax. "For the state of Idaho, it will send a message that we can play football over here, too."

To go along with the top-level competition, players got to showcase their talent in front of a live national television audience.

Altitude Sports, which is available through major satellite providers, broadcast all four games, giving the matchups a big-time feel, complete with those pesky TV timeouts and all.

For Minico senior Skylar Morgan, it was a chance to gain a little more recognition as college recruiting season heats up. Morgan took advantage of it by rushing for 174 yards on 25 carries and scoring four total touchdowns for the Spartans.

"I was hoping to have a big game because we heard there were gonna be scouts here and everything," he said. "It will just help get my name out there a little bit more."

Even those who came out on the losing side of the games felt that participating in the Rumble was worthwhile.

Colfax coach Tony Martello had nothing but good things to say about the event after falling to Minico.

"It was an experience for our coaching staff, for our kids, for our parents, for our community," he said. "It would've been nice if we played a closer game, but it was awesome."

By Tim Flagstad

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