Minico trounces Calif. foe

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tflagstad@journalnet.com

POCATELLO -- As if playing a traditional California power on live TV wasn't enough motivation for Minico, the Spartans saw their opponent tear down one of their signs on the opposite sideline shortly before kickoff.

It didn't take Skylar Morgan and his teammates long to respond.

The senior running back returned the opening kickoff 90 yards to set the tone for a decisive 28-6 Minico win over Colfax on Saturday to open the Rocky Mountain Rumble at Holt Arena.

"We saw them tear down our Spartan sign, and that got us all going," Morgan said. "We said we were gonna run this one back. They gave me the hole, and I just hit it and ran."

It was the first of Morgan's three touchdowns on the game, as he rushed for 174 yards on 25 carries to pace the Spartans (3-0).

On the ensuing possession, the Falcons appeared to be well on their way to evening things out. After starting on the Minico 43-yard line following a 45-yard kickoff return by Pat Rawlins, Colfax (0-1) moved the ball down to the 29-yard line with a proficient air attack.

But on the sixth play of the drive, Falcons quarterback Spencer Lewis lobbed a pass intended for Jeff Divine, and Spartans defensive back David Griffin stepped in front to pick it off at the 6.

"I knew he was throwing it deep," Griffin said. "He kind of underthrew it, and I saw (the receiver) come back, so I came under the ball."

Minico responded to the turnover with a methodical 12-play, 94-yard drive that churned up five and a half minutes. Morgan capped it by outracing the Colfax defense on a pitch play to the left for a four-yard touchdown to make it 14-0.

That pattern would repeat throughout the rest of the game.

The Falcons' offense -- led by Lewis' 31-of-53, 323-yard effort -- piled up 413 total yards, but five of its drives ended with turnovers or turnovers-on-downs.

"You can't turn the ball over four times and give up big plays and expect to beat a good team, which is exactly what we faced today," said Colfax coach Tony Martello.

After Minico's Jake Hruza recovered a Mike Davis fumble at the Minico 29-yard line in the second quarter, Morgan burst threw the line three plays later for a 57-yard touchdown to make it 21-0, which was the score going into the half.

With his performance, Morgan became the school's all-time leader for career touchdowns.

"Skylar's a great back," said Spartans coach Tim Perrigot. "We've known that for an awfully long time. He hits the hole hard, and it seems like he's always falling forward."

Following a scoreless third quarter, Griffin's second interception of the day, which he returned 18 yards, set up Minico's final score.

On the first play after the pick, senior quarterback Chris Joyce found senior wideout Byron Pinther down the middle for a 27-yard strike to make it 28-0 and put the game out of reach with 7:58 to play.

Colfax would pick up its only score of the game when Lewis hit Divine for a three-yard score to cap a 10-play, 85-yard drive. Divine caught 10 passes on the day for 127 yards.

Considering they didn't know much about the Falcons heading into the game, the Spartans were more than happy to surrender a lone touchdown and leave the mini-dome with a 22-point win.

"We didn't have any film on them, and we didn't know what they had or what they were gonna come out with," Morgan said. "We just made adjustments as we went, and it came out good for us.

"I thought they'd be a little more physical. You hear all the hype about California football and stuff, but we just came out and played some Idaho football."

Minico 28, Colfax 6

Colfax 0 0 0 6 -- 6

Minico 14 7 0 7 -- 28

Scoring summary

M -- Skylar Morgan 90 kickoff (Coltin Johnson kick)

M -- Morgan 4 run (Johnson kick)

M -- Morgan 57 run (Johnson kick)

M -- Byron Pinther 27 pass from Chris Joyce (Johnson kick)

By Tim Flagstad

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