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Players from Weiser or Orofino might look at tonight’s Shelley-Salmon high school football 3A playoff matchup and pencil Shelley into the semifinals.

After all, No. 1-ranked Shelley is undefeated and already beat Salmon this season. Meanwhile, Salmon is a ho-hum 5-4 and needed a win over Sugar-Salem in the final game of the regular season to qualify for the playoffs.

But football fans in eastern Idaho know better. They know three of Salmon’s losses came against elite teams by nine points combined. They know Salmon avenged one loss by beating previously undefeated and second-ranked Marsh Valley last week. And they know Salmon was inches from stopping a game-winning quarterback sneak that gave Shelley a 38-36 win in the final seconds earlier this season.

Shelley coach Dwight Richins knows better, too. After all, Salmon defeated the defending state champion Russets in last year’s semifinals after Shelley won the conference title.

“The semifinal game was a bitter pill for us,” Richins said. “These kids have had one going for a long time, even through early part of high school. That game put more fire to the rivalry than we already had.”

>Shelley’s stable of running backs ran over defenses all season, and lit up Salmon for 406 yards in the regular season.

If Salmon wants to slow down Aaron Adams (176 yards against Salmon), McCade Bono (99), Gabe Nii (47) and quarterback Chase Richins (84), coach Ken Miner said his defensive line has to fare better against the Russets’ front.

“They manhandled us up front,” Miner said. “If we can get our linemen going, we have a good chance. But they are big and physical and do a good job getting off the ball. We have our work cut out for us.”

Last season, both coaches made major adjustments between games, and this year will be no different. Richins must address his own defense, which gave up a season-high 36 points to Salmon. South Fremont was Shelley’s next-highest scoring opponent with 25 points.

In Shelley’s win over Salmon this season, Richins rolled a safety over the right side to double Salmon’s big-play threat, receiver Trey Infanger. Infanger didn’t make a single reception, but the strategy opened up the left side of the field. Running back Brady Nettinga ran for 142 yards on nine carries, mostly on touchdown runs of 62 and 57 yards up the left side. Receiver Derek Olson, who lines up on the left side, took advantage of single coverage, hooking up with Sessions on four passes for 106 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Richins said Shelley will deal with the pick-your-poison Salmon offense by keeping Sessions guessing when the defense does and doesn’t double Infanger.

“The key is to disguise it so he won’t read it,” Richins said. “Sessions does a good job reading, especially when you bring stunts. And against blitzes, he’s good at reading the hot receiver. You can’t give him the same look every time, or he’ll get real comfortable back there. We don’t want that to happen.”

Heading into the game, a few points are uncertain, but likely.

Sessions, who averages 13 completions per game on 23 attempts for 233 yards, will probably throw more than the 12 passes he attempted against Shelley in the first go-around. Infanger, who averages better than four catches for 82 yards per contest, will probably see a piece of the action.

On the other side of the ball, Shelley, which averages 324 yards rushing a game, will move the chains even if Salmon can cut down on the big running plays surrendered in the first game. Aaron Adams will probably match the 112.4 yards he’s averaged.

With superior size on the roster and on the field, Shelley is the favorite. But recent memory dictates a big play here or there will probably determine which team advances to the state semifinal.

“I’m sure they are very hungry to take back what we took from them,” Miner said. “But we’re also anxious to defend what we earned.

Salmon (5-4) vs. Shelley (9-0)

7 p.m. Thu. at Holt Arena

By the numbers
Points scored: Shelley 40.5, Salmon 30.9
Points allowed: Shelley 17.4, Salmon 18.8

Players to watch
Shelley: RB Aaron Adams, jr.; TE/DE Cody Andersen, sr.
Salmon: QB Riley Sessions, sr.; WR Trey Infanger, sr.

2008 conference championship game: At Shelley, the Russets turned a halftime deficit into a 35-14 win at home, thanks to 225 rushing yards and a fake field goal that went for a touchdown.

2008 state semifinal game: In Holt Arena, Salmon quarterback Riley Sessions orchestrated a 50-yard drive culminating in a 7-yard touchdown pass to Mark Hobbs to clinch a 25-15 Salmon victory and send Salmon to the first title game in school history.

Sept. 26, 2009: In Salmon, Shelley remained undefeated when quarterback Chase Richins scored on a fourth-and-goal sneak from the 6-inch line to give Shelley a 38-36 victory.