Logan defense comes up big in second half against Matadors
Logan's Mike Jenkins gets sacked by Idaho's Joel Gunstream during their game Saturday in Logan. Gunstream was called for a horse collar on the play which keep the Stampede's drive alive which resulted in a touchdown. To view more photos from the game click on the link below. (Eli Lucero/Herald Journal)
Both the Logan Stampede and Idaho Matadors came into Saturday's meeting at Crimson Field needing a win to get into the postseason, both teams were coming off close losses the week before, and if that wasn't enough, even the mascots match up well.
Having said that, there would be no roses for the Boise-based visitors as the Stampede stormed back from a 14-3 deficit to hold off the Matadors 16-14 and ensure a first-round home matchup in next week's Rocky Mountain Football League AA Division Playoffs.
After a shaky first half on both sides of the ball, the Stampede locked down on defense in the third and fourth quarters, allowing only three first downs in the final 24 minutes.
And it was an extra-good birthday for Stampede linebacker Cam Carter.
With one of the best place kickers in the RMFL - Pete Burton - on their roster, the Matadors were approaching game-winning-field-goal territory with less than 30 ticks left on the clock. After having kept the drive alive twice before, Idaho had the ball third-and-3 on the Stampede 36-yard line.
Matador quarterback Tom Bennett rolled to his right looking for an open receiver when Carter hit him and brought him down for a possible season-saving seven-yard loss.
Though the playoffs start next week when the Stampede (6-2) host the Clark Fork Rush at 7 p.m., Carter pointed out that this game was basically a play-in game for his squad, and the Stampede's second-half defense reflected that mentality.
"We thought the playoffs started tonight. If we lose, we go home. If we win, we play (next Saturday)," Carter said. "... I think we came out a little bit flat, but we knew that we had to win, so we picked up the intensity a little bit and came out in the second half."
And the game-saving play?
"It was kind of a delayed blitz by the middle backer, and I just happened to be that guy. ... I just made a read," Carter said. "... We stopped them on the first couple downs every (new set of downs), and we just let them get first downs on third and fourth down. We just had to come up (with a stop), and we did that. ... Coach asked us to step up and make plays (at halftime). Our defense has done that for a couple years now, so that's what we had to do."
On offense, it was a little bit of feast or famine for the Stampede. After settling for a Logan Hull 38-yard field goal in the first quarter, Logan wouldn't get within striking distance again until just before intermission when a 69-yard drive was capped off by a 3-yard Dave Williams run, pulling the Stampede within 14-10 and swinging the momentum back in their favor.
It was a tough night for the run game as Williams only gained a net of 11 yards. But he did lead the team in receiving yards, hauling in five passes for 39 yards.
The Stampede's other score came with under five minutes to go in the game when quarterback Mike Jenkins found Hull from 20 yards out, putting Logan ahead 16-14.
With one of the toughest defensive fronts in all of the RMFL's AA division, the Matadors (4-4) made life difficult for Jenkins. The signal caller had to scramble several times, getting tackled behind the line of scrimmage four times, including a pair of sacks.
Stampede head coach Bracken Atkinson noted his team's struggles on offense.
"They were giving us the same plays throughout the whole game, we just couldn't capitalize," Atkinson said. "There was communication issues between me and Mike. ... And then we had a few dropped balls early in the game that kind of got our confidence down. We couldn't run the ball today, and this year we've needed to run the ball to be effective."
Jenkins finished the night 14-for-30 with the one TD pass and 142 yards and one interception. Wideout Jesse Yarger had three catches for 32 yards, while Brennen Alleman had two receptions for 26 yards, including the catch of the game - a ball Alleman hung onto after getting his clock cleaned by Idaho defender Tom Dowers in the first quarter.
Just like the Stampede, the Matadors were more effective through the air. However, Bennett spread the ball out between just two receivers - Jerry Smith and James Cluphf. Smith had eight catches for 98 yards, including a pair of highlight-worthy tight-rope grabs in the end zone for all of Idaho's points.
Atkinson acknowledged the speed and athleticism of Smith and Cluphf, especially when you consider they were guarded by Lawrence Loveless and Jordan Archuleta - two of Logan's best defensive backs.
Smith also had his team's lone interception.
"Those guys were unstoppable," Atkinson said of the Matador wideouts. "For a receiver to do what they did against Loveless and Archuleta, we haven't seen that all year. We haven't seen one guy do that to either one of those two, so for both of them to just run around as if they weren't being guarded. ... Phenomenal receivers, great athletes.
"Their quarterback knows his receivers. He threw the ball where only they could get it. ... We tried three or four different coverages, we made some adjustments. The biggest thing it did is maybe made their quarterback think for half a second. We were still almost overcompensating for those two receivers."
MATADORS SURVIVE FIRST QUARTER KNOCKDOWN, LONG TRIP TO OVERCOME WYOMING THUNDER..............
The Idaho Matadors (4-2) traveled to Lyman, Wyoming (1-5) last Saturday and overcame a flurry of Thunderous first quarter runs by a game Wyoming squad ready to spoil the 'Dors potential 3 game winning streak. The Thunder took the opening kickoff 80 yards on 12 plays chewing up half of the first quarter and posting an 8-0 lead. The Matador offense got off to their own fast start when QB Tom Bennett connected with WR James Cluphf on an 8 yard pass pushing the game to 8-7 leaving a little over 1 minute left in the first quarter. Any thoughts of Matador momentum ended quickly as Alex Johnson reached the endzone on the next offensive play, untouched on a wonderful 60 yard run putting Wyoming up 14-7.
Unfortunately for Wyoming that would be the end of their offensive success as the Matador defense made the necessary adjustments to shut down a double wing offense that caused confusion and frustration early. The 'Dors defense held Wyoming to only two first downs after the 1st quarter - led by DT Joshua Schmitz who posted an amazing 10 tackle performance. The defense would also force five fumbles on the day, recovering three and often ending promising Wyoming drives. Tom Dowers, Cody Heller, Chris Douglass and Mario Lopez all had solid days.
RB Orlando Garcia (24 att, 110 yards, 2TD) had his second straight 100 yard performance as the Matador offense piled up 382 total yards. 175 of those came on the ground as the Matadors ran the ball 42 times moving the chains 19 times throughout the contest. Bennett had a solid performance as he connected on 12 of 14 attempts for 165 yards and 1 touchdown. Cluphf proved to be an x-factor as well as he accumulated 115 yards on 7 receptions.
The Thunder were coming off a 38-6 victory over the Gallatin Valley Snow Devils and were led by LB Vernian Lee and RB Alex Johnson who tried their hardest to taste victory once again. Lee recorded a game high 11 tackles and Johnson had 108 yards on 9 carries.
After a hard fought, old fashion game of football - the Matadors and Thunder now head to an appropriate bye week as the RMFL celebrates Memorial Day.
(Nampa, ID) If the playoffs were to start today, the Idaho Matadors at 3-2 with the big win over the Missoula Phoenix, a favorite to clinch a wild card berth would be in and the Phoenix (3-3) would be out proving yet again what the dreaded long road trip can do to an RMFL team.
“Sure we were missing some guys, every team is missing guys when they travel, and it was a long trip” said John Velk, General Manager of the Phoenix, “but don’t think for a second that is the reason we came away with an ‘L’ this weekend. We had our chances. So did the Matadors. They capitalized on them, we didn’t. Give them credit.”
Matador running back Orlando Garcia had a banner performance as he was able to rush for 110 yards on 21 carries. The Matadors used a run heavy, clock burning offensive system to methodically pick apart the visiting Phoenix, who as a consequence, kept the Missoula offense from ever really gaining much momentum. (144 Total Yards).
WR Jerry Smith (3 rec, 63 yards) made his mark on the game late in the first half with a 30 yard touchdown reception from Jason Brunett that would amount to the only score of the first half for either team. RB Tyler Blewett would match Smith late in the fourth quarter with a six yard run to seal the victory for the playoff hungry Matadors. James Cluphf had two big receptions in the game for 64 yards, his 45 yard reception late in the fourth quarter set up the Matadors last touchdown of the game.
Missoula quarterback Kody Kowles was able to post solid numbers from the quarterback position going 12-21 for 114 yards with only one interception, however, the stat that hurt the Missoula offense the most was the 8 sacks given up to a Matador defense that has raised it's level of play for three straight weeks.
Although the Matador defensive shutout was a complete group effort, Joel Gunstream had an amazing day as he came away with 3.5 sacks and 6.5 total tackles while Chris Douglass would chip in two more and four tackles. Mario Lopez would finish with a share of the tackles lead with 6.5, along with Gunstream and Nick Fuls. LB Cody Heller (5.0 tackles) and Free Safety Tom Dowers (5.5 Tackles) also helped keep the Phoenix at Bay.
For the Phoenix, David Garza (5-57) and Nick Lumpkin (5-42) would both post stable numbers from the receiving position, but could never quite make it to the end zone as the Matadors walked away with a 14-0 win.
Next week, the Phoenix will take a two week layoff in conjunction with the Memorial Day holiday to go back to the drawing board in preparation for a desperation post season run. The Matadors will be one of the few teams playing in week 7 as they travel to face the RMFL rookies in Wyoming (1-4).
The Idaho Matadors raced out to an early 21-0 lead on their way to a 28-7 victory over the winless Treasure Valley Spartans on Saturday. QB Jason Brunett hooked up with Matador star receiver Jerry Smith three plays into their first offensive possession for a 47 yard scoring strike.Brunett was 6 of 8 for 155 yards and two touchdowns in only two quarters of work.WR James Cluphf had his best day as a Matador receiver collecting 5 receptions for 121 yards and a score.
The Matador defense produced another solid defensive performance as they forced six turnovers in the game and held the Spartans to 212 total yards.CB Charles Ballard, LB Brady Warfield and CB Nick Russell collected interceptions and Ballard would later add his name to the Matador record books as he returned a fumble 93 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.Nick Fuls led the defense with 4.5 tackles with solid contributions from LB Cody Heller, DE Joel Gunstream, DT Josh Schmitz and FS Tom Dowers who all collected 3.5 tackles.
The Matador offense had a nice day on the ground as they churned out 163 yards, led by RB Orlando Garcia who had 15 attempts for 78 yards. FB Tyler Blewett opened up some nice holes and also ran for 40 yards on 6 carries.
The Matadors (2-2) have a bye this weekend and now await the Missoula Phoenix who will come to town on May 15th for a pivotal game between the North and Central Divisions of the RMFL.
Kickoff is scheduled for 5pm at NampaChristianHigh School. May 15th
(Nampa, ID)In a critical divisional matchup that will surely prove to have serious playoff implications the Snake River Sabercats (2-1) took to the road and successfully out dueled the Idaho Matadors (1-2) who were coming off of a big win over the Idaho Falls Mustangs.Likewise, the Sabercats were left to like their wounds after getting snubbed by the undefeated Logan Stampede the week before; however, week three would prove to be a very different outcome for the Cats.
To be certain, this most recent match between the two western Idaho teams is not the first, however, it was not typical of many of the previous games where the Sabercats have been anything but dominating.While that may be the truth of the final outcome, the beginnings of the game were indicating that this game would be no different.
“They got the ball first and marched down the field and scored early,” said Snake River Head Coach Dallas Hoffman.“They went up 7-0 right away, and from there, it was a defensive battle right up to the half.”
Both defenses forced the opposing offenses into unfamiliar territory.The stingy Matadors defense made the usually pass happy Sabercats offense rely almost exclusively on their rushing attack.The difficult to run on defense of the Sabercats forced Idaho to turn to the air to gain any momentum.
After taking the kickoff in the second half, the Sabercats were able to march the ball and score in similar fashion of the Matadors’ opening drive, tying the score 7-7 with a Tyler Collingswood two yard pass to Shawn King with 7 minutes left in the third quarter.It’s at this point that the game really got going.
Both team’s defenses came back to life and kept the offenses out of the end zone until 9:45 left in the final quarter when Collingswood stuck again from 31 yards out to Charlie Finch for the go ahead touchdown and Zack Pulkinen extra point kick.
11 plays and two penalties later, the Idaho Matadors offense, on the legs of running back their stable of running backs marched down almost the length of the field to score on a Jason Brunett to Jerry Smith 16-yard touchdown with 3:21 left in regulation, however the ensuing point after that would have tied the ball game went wide and left the score at 14-13 in favor of the visiting Snake River Sabercats.
After receiving the kickoff, Snake River could only muster a handful of plays and one first down, but eventually turned the ball over on downs back to the Matadors offense.
Just when the tides seemed to have turned, the hot Idaho offense, on their second play from scrimmage after taking over late in the fourth, fumbled the ball which was recovered just before it was to go out of bounds.The Sabercats came back on to the field just one last time, this time in victory formation to put the done stamp in the quest to go 2-1 for the first time in Snake River history.
“2-1’s a nice place to be,” said Hoffman.“My guys played their guts out and they deserved this win.”
Next week, Snake River will host the now desperate Idaho Falls Mustangs (0-3) while the Matadors travel across the valley to face the winless Treasure Valley Spartans.
(Nampa, ID) After allowing 449 total yards in a week 1 loss to the Arco Anarchy, the embattled Idaho Matador (1-1) defense turned in a strong performance by holding a potent Idaho Falls Mustangs (0-2) offense to 195 total yards and win in dramatic, comeback fashion 18-14. The Mustangs wasted no time in taking their opening drive nearly the length of the field and scoring seemingly with ease on a Nate Fielding to Jeb Harrison 8 yard touchdown pass midway through the first quarter. However, that score was the only thing that was going to seem easy to the Mustangs all night.
The Matadors would come right back after a handful of back-and-forth possessions three minutes into the second quarter with a 11 yard Jason Brunett to Jerry Smith connection for six, making the game 7-6 in favor of the Mustangs with nine minutes left in the half. The Mustangs, however, would not be out done as they took the entire remainder of the half to drive down the field where Fielding would find Koby Spencer in the end zone for a last second 11 yard touchdown pass that would put the Mustangs up 14-6 at the half. That, however, is where the Mustang momentum would end.
The Matadors took the second half kickoff, and with a moderate drive, punched in another six points with a Brunett to James Cluphf 21 yard pass with just less than 9 minutes left in the third. The Mustangs had plenty of opportunities on the following handful of possessions to retake the lead, but the Matadors defense, led by safety Tom Dowers (9 tackles, one sack, and tackle for loss) and Joel Gunstream (6.5 tackles, 3.5 sacks and one tackle for loss) stepped up in critical fashion to keep the Mustangs out of the end zone the entire second half.
The game was essentially decided late in the fourth quarter when the Matadors defense forced an Idaho Falls punt with under two minutes left, with a score of 14-12 in favor of the Mustangs. The 38 yard Jerry Smith punt return put the Matadors in field position to score, which they did on a Brunett to Smith pass for 25 yards with just 25 seconds left on the clock for a dramatic and exciting win that puts the Matadors in a more favorable position regarding playoff seeding than the now two loss Mustangs.
Justin Weaver and Greg Robinson led the Mustangs defense with 5.5 tackles each and five Mustangs, including Robinson tallied up a sack. The more important statistics for the Mustangs, however and the one that perhaps cost them the game was the 11 penalties for 90 yards loss.
Next week, the Matadors will host the hot starting 1-1 Snake River Sabercats in what could potentially decide a wild card or even AA Central second playoff seed. The Mustangs on the other hand will be fighting for their playoff lives with a rivalry game against the Arco Anarchy (2-0), a team that features many former Mustangs. That game will be played at home, a welcomed time for a home game.
Nampa, Idaho – The Idaho Matadors suffered a 34-19 loss at the hands of the Arco Anarchy on Saturday night.An impressive Anarchy offense (449 Total Yards) moved the ball consistently throughout the game as QB Cody Jackson completed 17 passes for 238 yards and four touchdowns, six different receivers joined in the action – led by T.J Park who caught 5 balls for 108 yards.RB Shaun Elsworth contributed with 144 yards on 13 carries for a whopping 11.1 yards per attempt.
Sixteen new Matadors made their debut on Saturday and new QB Jason Brunett (9-21, 180 yds, 1TD-1INT) couldn’t have asked for a better start. After the Matador defense forced the ball over on downs on their own 18 yard line, Brunett hit ex Boise State Bronco - WR Jerry Smith streaking down the sideline for an 82 yard touchdown pass and an early 7-0 lead.Unfortunately for the Matador offense (312 Total Yards) that would be as easy as it would get on the night, a constant flow of defensive pressure from the Anarchy resulted in 7 sacks and multiple game changing moments.
Late in the First Quarter the Anarchy would take an 8-7 lead when Jackson found Park for a 34 yard score.In a game where seemingly everything bounced the Anarchy way, the second quarter proved to be the toughest for the Matadors to overcome.With less than 2 minutes left before halftime, the elusive Jackson made several plays to keep his offense on the field, from the Matador five yard line he would find Justin Gillish for the score and 14-7 lead.The Anarchy then forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and recovered the ball on the Matador 25 yard line. With less than 10 seconds left before halftime Jackson and Gillish would combine again for a 21-7 score.
The Matadors received the ball to begin the third quarter and after a 28 yard catch from WR James Cluphf (3 rec, 52 yds) were in good position to cut the lead in half.However, the Anarchy defense answered the challenge and put an end to the promising Matador drive as they would intercept Brunett on the Anarchy 37 yard line.On the following Anarchy possession it became the Shaun Elsworth show, the apparent human bowling ball accounted for 55 yards and appropriately so would score on a six yard reception midway through the third quarter changing the scoreboard to 27-7.
QB Tom Bennett (7-12, 130 yds) would relieve Brunett in the fourth quarter and quickly injected some energy into the game.Bennett moved the Matadors to the 5 yard line with two big completions, 1 for 23 yards to WR Sean Moys (2 rec, 50 yds) and a 35 yard connection to Smith, but the Anarchy defense would give no more and forced a turnover on downs.The Matador defense gave the opening day crowd something to cheer for as Mario Lopez recovered an Anarchy fumble in the end zone for a touchdown and 27-13 score with less than six minutes remaining in the game.
The Anarchy would end any thoughts of a Matador comeback as they recovered the Matador onside kick attempt. Elsworth would light up the scoreboard one final time with a 22 yard touchdown run and 34-12 score.
Bennett would help narrow the difference on the scoreboard as he led the Matadors to one final score on their last drive, completing six passes for 72 yards and running for 13 yards and a touchdown.Final Score 34-19.
Although the first game in 2010 was not the result they were looking for – the Matadors did have some bright spots.Jerry Smith would haul in 8 receptions for 194 yards on the night and SS Nick Fuls led the defense with an outstanding performance with 8 total tackles. CB Nick Russell would collect 5 tackles and deflected another 3 pass attempts. Newcomer Cody Heller had a nice start to his Matador career as he posted 4 tackles and also deflected 2 passes.
The Matadors (0-1) now turn their attention to the Idaho Falls Mustangs (0-1) who lost to the defending champion Logan Stampede 34-26.Kickoff is scheduled for 5pm on Saturday April 17th at Nampa Christian High School.
