POCATELLO – Pocatello arrived in Holt Arena with all the hype in the world. The Thunder were 3-0. They were the No. 1 in the 4A rankings. They boasted their most physical team in years.

And it took only a few minutes for all their momentum to fade, for Highland (4-1) to remind everyone who’s the most dominant football program in the Gate City.

The Rams rolled to a 41-14 win over Pocatello on Friday, claiming its 11th-straight Black and Blue Bowl victory.

The game was practically sealed when Highland led by 24 at halftime. And it was definitely on ice early in the fourth quarter, as the field-goal unit trotted out to the turf for a chip shot. Except when quarterback/holder Jack Whitmer caught the snap, he bolted through a Grand-Canyon-like valley for his fourth touchdown of the night.

And, with that, a question became pertinent: Why did the Rams want to keep their foot down on a four-score lead? 

“Hey, it’s Poky,” Whitmer said with a smirk.

What began as another Highland blowout shifted into a statement. It was a declaration from the Rams that for all the acclaim their cross-town rivals received, Pocatello (3-1) still plays second-fiddle to Highland.

If there was a year that it felt like that dynamic could shift or that the Thunder could pull the upset, it was 2021. Linebacker Hunter Killian is a stud in the middle. Sophomore running back Ryken Echo Hawk had bulldozed opponents for three weeks. And in the trenches, where Pocatello had been outmuscled against Highland for years, the Thunder had manhandled every team they faced this season.

While Highland was probably still the favorites on Friday, even Rams’ coach Gino Mariani noted last week that his team must be careful. A team with energy is dangerous – and Pocatello was riding a tsunami of momentum.

Ever since Pocatello’s nickname shifted from Indians to Thunder, everything about the program seemed to veer with it. Bigger players. Faster athletes. More confidence. Even Friday’s game program looked fresher. It featured a modern graphic highlighted by Pocatello’s new Bison logo and the program’s mantra: “Thunder Football,” it read. “Into The Storm.”

The Highland coaches probably didn’t pick up a copy of that program, but they’ve been observing that motto it from afar, getting second-hand anecdotes about the “new-look Poky.” They were eager to respond. So as he stood on empty sidelines postgame, Highland defensive coordinator Nick Sorrell had no trouble finding the words.

“They ran into the wrong storm tonight,” he said.

On Friday, the Rams reminded everyone who they are. And they did so in commanding fashion. How commanding? Heck, Highland didn’t punt the ball once all night. It held the Thunder to 71 first-half yards (all of which were rushing). It ate up Pocatello’s Cover 3 like a buffet.

Whitmer, Highland’s senior quarterback, had been a tad inconsistent this season, struggling mostly with his accuracy. Against the Thunder, he was superb. The strong-armed senior completed 17 of his 21 passes for 308 yards and a pair of touchdowns, adding 39 yards and two more scores on the ground.

“He’s gotten a lot better with his scrambling ability and looking downfield,” Mariani said. “That took some time but he’s a lot better now.”

Helping Whitmer out was junior receiver Ezra Godfrey, who hauled in five passes for 132-yards, including a back-breaking 74-yard score in the first quarter and a 48-yard catch that helped put the Rams in field goal position before halftime.

If there was a surprise on Friday, it was that Highland didn’t tally more sacks. The Pocatello quarterback position had been through the wringer the past week. Starter Ryan Payne was ruled out with a shoulder injury that may keep him out a few weeks. Sophomore backup Dre Contrearas was unavailable. So thrust under center to face the biggest defense Poky will see all year was Zach Park.

Park was Pocatello’s starting quarterback last year, but wanted to move to receiver for his senior campaign and convinced Payne to take over as signal caller. Even still, he hadn’t taken meaningful snaps in almost a year – and, early on, it showed.

Park failed to complete any of his five first-half attempts, but got the Thunder offense moving a little bit in the second half. Highland was fine with that. The Rams’ whole game plan was to bait Pocatello into throwing the ball.

“We wanted to take the running game out. If we can make them one-dimensional, that makes things simple,” Sorrel said. “Then our four front guys can go eat.”

Kody Colvin, Sloan Lambson, Drew Roberts and Lane Frasure feasted. On most plays, Park caught the ball and started to scramble. And when the Thunder went to the ground, Highland’s quartet filled space like insulation, holding Poky to 80 total rushing yards.

After falling in a Week 0 nail-biter to Rocky Mountain, Highland has won its last four games, improved with each performance and emerged as a real state-title contender. That’s the end goal, of course. But Friday may keep Highland fans satisfied for a while.