Timberlake falls short
SPIRIT LAKE – Going into the season, Fruitland High coach Bruce Schlaich thought his football team was a year away from challenging for a state title.
Especially since Schlaich had to retool his offensive line. The opportunity to win a state championship arrived Saturday as the Grizzlies had their way with previously undefeated and No. 2-ranked Timberlake 28-6 in a 3A semifinal before an estimated crowd of 1,000 at Van Tuinstra Memorial Field.
Fruitland (10-1) will take on Buhl (10-1) at Boise State University’s Bronco Stadium on Thursday. Buhl upset top-ranked and defending state champ Shelley 42-23 Friday.
The Grizzlies’ offensive line, which averages 245 pounds from tackle to tackle, bulldozed Timberlake on a field that resembled a marsh from a heavy overnight rain. And that same crew also nullified the Tigers’ speedy running game and big-play offense.
“We told our kids no excuse this time – I don’t want to hear about a long bus ride (and) I don’t want to hear about a muddy field,” Schlaich said. “(I also said) I don’t want to hear about how fast they (the Tigers) are. We come up and we play well I think we can win. They did just that.”
Fruitland turned two Timberlake fumbles into touchdowns in the first quarter, and the Tigers never got untracked thereafter.
And each time the ball-control Grizzlies had the ball, they chewed up large chunks of time.
“We felt like we had to keep the ball away from their offense they’re so explosive,” Schlaich said. “We thought if we just take it and just kind of plug it down the field … I told the kids 5 yards is a good play. We’re not going to break a long one against them. We’re going to have to work it down the field and keep their offense off the field.”
The plan worked perfectly.
The frustration mounted quickly for Timberlake (10-1). Junior running back Nick Puckett, who had rushed for 2,099 yards in the previous 10 games, was held to 21 in the first half and 40 on 14 carries overall.
The longer the Tigers offense was off the field the longer their usually stout defense was on the field. The bigger Grizzlies wore down Timberlake.
Fruitland used a 10-play drive to extend its lead to 20-0 just before halftime. On fourth-and-6, quarterback Kaleo Nawahine dashed 19 yards untouched on a draw out of a shotgun formation.
The Grizzlies’ plan in the second half was simple – keep the clock running. It worked.
Fruitland threw in a little trickery for good measure for its final touchdown. On fourth-and-11 at Timberlake’s 26-yard line, the Grizzlies brought out their punting unit. But punter Nate Blake hit running back Caleb Crim on a well-executed screen play, and Crim followed three blockers untouched into the end zone with 11:03 to go.
“They hammered us offensively and defensively on the line of scrimmage,” Timberlake coach Roy Albertson said. “They deserve this win. They did a good job of executing throughout the game. They made us put the ball on the ground twice in the first quarter in our own territory. That cost us two touchdowns and we never recovered from that.”
Albertson praised his team for its best season in the school’s nine-year history.
“When you meet your match, you’ve got to take a step back and take a look at what you’ve accomplished,” Albertson said. “They’ve accomplished a lot and I’m very proud of them for it.”