PR Sports

POCATELLO – Malad steamrolled Ririe for 536 total yards of offense Saturday night at Holt Arena on its way to a 46-12 win in the opening round of the 2A playoffs.

Despite the lopsided score, Ririe had its chance early to deliver a damaging blow. Malad raced out to a 14-0 lead after its first two possessions in the first quarter, but Ririe responded with a Ryan Winters 1-yard touchdown run.

Ririe then forced a turnover on downs on Malad’s ensuing possession, and even though Ririe then failed to pick up a first down, Malad gifted Ririe the ball back after it muffed a punt.

Despite first down at the Malad 24, Ririe couldn’t generate anything and Tyrell Hubbard picked off the first of four interceptions from Ririe quarterback Logan Hamilton.

“We had a chance after they muffed a punt,” Ririe coach Jeff Johnson said. “We got the ball down there and could have put it in and stayed right with them. It was just missed opportunities. We had a couple broken plays, some execution things. We just couldn’t get things rolling our way when we needed to.”

Malad then proceeded to pound out a 10-play, 91-yard drive capped by a Jeremy McLellan 14-yard touchdown catch and it never looked back. Malad scored 28 unanswered points before Ririe recorded the game’s last score when Brady Abbott emerged from a huddle on a kickoff return after several handoffs and went 94 yards untouched to the end zone.

Ririe couldn’t find an answer for Malad senior running back Caleb Bennett all night. Bennett finished with 226 yards and a 40-yard touchdown run on 22 carries despite only touching the ball twice in the fourth quarter.

“He was just breaking tackles and breaking tackles,” Johnson said. “He has the full package – big kid, strong kid, fast kid. One time it seemed like we had him wrapped, then he broke tackles and out ran everybody. I wouldn’t have expected that from him.”

The loss ends Ririe’s season at 3-6 and concludes a senior class that was the first ever at Ririe to reach the playoffs in all four years.

“We’ve still yet to go to the next level, which is what we want to do when we come down here,” Johnson said. “I’m disappointed with the outcome, but not the season or the group of young men.”

Malad 46, Ririe 12
Ririe 6 0 0 6 - 12
Malad 14 6 14 12 - 46

First quarter
M – Jordan Schwartz 4-yard run (Schwartz kick)
M – Riker Carter 89-yard catch from Kaden Goddard (Schwartz kick)
R – Ryan Winters 1-yard run (Ethan Chadwick kick failed)

Second quarter
M – Jeremy McLellan 14-yard catch from Goddard (Schwartz kick failed)

Third quarter
M – Caleb Bennett 40-yard run (Schwartz kick blocked)
M – Carter 31-yard run (Goddard to Jordan Hansen pass)

Fourth quarter
M – Goddard 6-yard run (Goddard pass intercepted)
M – Buddy Southwick 1-yard run (run failed)
R – Brady Abbott 94-yard kick return (Logan Hamilton pass failed)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Ririe: Garrett Smith 13-54, Logan Hamilton 8-23, Spencer Richards 6-8, Ryan Winters 4-5, Nate Drake 1-(-7), Brady Abbott 2-5, Stephen Walker 1-2. Malad: Caleb Bennett 22-226, Riker Carter 2-35, Jordan Schwartz 2-16, Kaden Goddard 5-31, Buddy Southwick 4-27, Jeremy McLellan 2-8, Trasen Jones 4-43.

PASSING – Ririe: Hamilton 9-19, 79, 0 TD, 4 INT. Malad: Goddard 5-9, 150, 2 TD, 1 INT.

RECEIVING – Ririe: Jonathon Lovell 4-38, Ethan Chadwick 3-32, Ben Sommers 2-9. Malad: Tyrell Hubbard 2-21, Carter 1-89, McLellan 1-14, Southwick 1-26.