Dre Contreras admits he felt nervous. When he took the field last week in Nampa, ready to guide his Pocatello team through its first drive against Ridgevue, he felt a little uncomfortable. He had broken his leg several months earlier, which kept him on the shelf most of the summer, and he hadn’t played in a game since last fall.
Even Poky coach Dave Spillett wasn’t sure if Contreras should play. Spillett knew Contreras was all but ready, but in his head, he went back and forth. Should I start him this week? Or should I wait till next week? Contreras was medically cleared, so it was up to his coaches at this point.
Eventually, Spillett decided his club would have an easy time dispatching Ridgevue whether he started Contreras or a kid from the stands, so he decided to play Contreras. Better to let him get reps against a weaker opponent, Spillet figured, and test backup options if the chance arises.
“And that’s what happened,” Spillett said. “He went in and looked extremely crisp. He’s so smart. He knows our offense in and out, and it really showed. He attacked every time they left somebody open. He found them and put together a really nice night.”
The Thunder headed back to Pocatello with a comfortable 61-12 win, evening their record on the season, and their starting quarterback looked like himself. Things just felt right for Poky. Now things get exciting. Pocatello’s game this weekend, a home matchup with Twin Falls, takes place at the team’s new facility: Lookout Credit Union Field.
To call it a big deal would be selling it criminally short. This year, Pocatello High turns something around 120 years old, and the Thunder have never had their own football field. They’ve always played at Holt Arena, or opponents’ facilities, or somewhere else entirely. There’s a lot more to the matter — this newspaper reported on that last year — but the short version is that after years of confusion and rumors, Pocatello finally has its own place.
“I think the atmosphere is gonna be electric,” senior receiver/cornerback Krue Hales said. “Just at our little powderpuff game, our whole stands are filled up. So I can’t wait to see how many fans show up for the homecoming game.”
“I think it’s crazy,” Contreras said. “We’ve been at Raymond (Park) for so long, and it’s kinda crazy that we get to play here.”
By now, you’ve probably seen pictures of the place, but here’s a refresher: Stationed next to Hawthorne Middle School and Halliwell Park, Lookout Field includes lights, bleachers and a ticket booth — which completed in the summer of 2021 — but thanks to more work this summer, there’s now a turf field, more stands, concessions, restrooms, locker rooms and a new scoreboard with video capabilities. Heck, just look at the field, and it looks fresh.
The renovations are part of District 25’s five-year, $5 million outdoor athletic facilities plan, which was first announced in September 2020.
“There’s so many people excited about this,” Spillett said. “We have people show up to practice just to see the new field, to see us on the new field. We’ve had people sitting up here every day we’ve been here just watching us for practice. So that’s been kinda cool.”
When they show up on Friday night, though, fans will want to see more than practice. They will see Poky square off with Twin Falls, which is a spotless 2-0 on the season, with a 41-32 win over Vallivue and a 34-22 victory over Idaho Falls. Small sample size, sure, but that means the Bruins are averaging 35 points per game. They haven’t beaten the Thunder in four years.
Junior Wyatt Solosabal, a running back/linebacker combo, has established himself as a force for the Bruins, who received five votes in this week’s media poll, slotting them three spots outside of the 4A top five. Plus, when he watched film on Twin Falls, one thing stood out to Spillett: The Bruins have size, especially up front.
“That’s kind of their trademark for Twin Falls,” Spillett said. “They’re usually a really big squad and then have some good talent. So they’re never an easy win. That’s a good football team.”
Spillett feels like he has one, too. He’s liked what he’s seen from the usual suspects — namely Contreras and Hales, plus running back Ryken Echo Hawk — as well as a few guys: Junior Carson Christensen, who “has put together back-to-back great weeks,” Spillett said. Fellow junior Maddox Moore, who “had a great game defensively.” Devin Rodriguez chased an injury-limited Week 1 with a solid Week 2, tight end Parker Smith has blocked and caught passes well, and Tyson Beckles has teamed with Echo Hawk to build a “two-headed monster monster in our backfield.”
Whether that will be enough for Pocatello to beat Twin Falls, well, we’ll know soon enough. What’s certain is this: Fans will enjoy the renovated venue, and players will enjoy playing at it. After all, they’ve never had anything like this.
Other games to watch
Highland at Century, 7 p.m.
To find the last time the Rams and Diamondbacks clashed when both were 0-2, you’d probably have to flip back hundreds of pages in record books. Century has had a rough few seasons, but the last time Highland started with two losses was six years ago. Anyway, point is: It’s been awhile since these teams collided under these circumstances.
The Rams are reeling from back-to-back losses, one to Utah’s Lehi and one to Skyline. They’re trying to get junior quarterback Drew Hymas used to starting varsity games, and they’re trying to shore up their defense, which has now yielded back-to-back games of 29-plus points — also for the first time in six years.
Century is also looking for its first win, but the Diamondbacks are also trying to identify talent, to establish belief. They haven’t beaten Highland in more than a decade, but there’s a reason you play the games.
Aberdeen at South Fremont, 7 p.m.
The Tigers are coming off one of their finest wins in some time: A six-point win over Declo, itself a perennial powerhouse, and they looked good doing it. They churned out nearly 400 rushing yards, including 164 from running back Brody Beck and 58 from quarterback Gage Driscoll.
Now they get another test, a road tilt with South Fremont, which has made the last two state tournaments — and has started 3-0 this season. The Cougars have taken down Wood River (20-8), Timberlake (18-14) and Salmon (49-0).
To avoid becoming South Fremont’s latest victim, Aberdeen will likely need to roll out the same game plan that worked last week: run the ball.