HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

When he thought about his Pocatello team's second-to-last practice this week, a two-hour session in the snow, Dave Spillett's voice seemed to smile.

"We had a blast," Spillett said. "It was cold, and it was miserable, and we absolutely loved it. It's playoff football."

It's been some time since the Thunder faced these circumstances. They're preparing for a home playoff game - at their own field, not at Holt Arena, which is why they practiced in the elements this week. On Friday night, they'll host Lakeland, a team more physical than any Idaho club they've faced this fall, and they'll do it without the quarterback they expected at the controls. So much about this Poky season is different from the last, from playing field to signalcaller to expectations, but when the Thunder take the field this weekend, they'll remind everyone that one thing is the same: They're back in the playoffs.

The Thunder face a stiff first test. In Lakeland, Poky gets the challenge of slowing down running backs Thomas Calder and John Cornish, who combined for more than 2,000 rushing yards and 20 scores this fall. Cornish posted 1,527 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in the regular season. Calder registered 862 yards and five scores.

"They're run-heavy, downhill, old-school, I-formation. Just try to run right at you and then mix in some play action," Spillett said. "So our defense will have a tough task. We're gonna have to stop the run. If we can stop the run and put them in uncomfortable situations, where they have to air it out a little bit, that's a recipe for a really good night for us."

Can the Thunder's defense do it? Their recent outings suggest so. In their win last week, against Century, they came a garbagetime touchdown away from delivering a shutout. In their win over Preston two weeks ago, they allowed just 21 points, winning a game that was over by the third quarter. Earlier in the season, Poky yielded just 14 points to Highland and just seven to Ridgevue. Really, their defense has rarely been the issue.

Even after one of the only games it was, in Pocatello's loss to Utah's Morgan to open the season, Spillett wasn't entirely upset. In that game, he says, the Thunder were physically outmatched. "We could play Morgan 10 times and I don't know if we squeeze out a victory," Spillett said. That game bears revisiting because to Spillett, Morgan is the one opponent that resembles Lakeland, a throwback club hellbent on running the ball.

Then Spillett clarified things: "Lakeland is not that," he said. Translation: There might be similarities between Morgan and Lakeland, but on Friday night, Pocatello will get a more manageable opponent.

"There's not too many schools that are built like Morgan is this year — and thankfully so," Spillett said. "Lakeland's a good football team, though. Their offensive line has got some size. Their running backs run hard. They've got some good skill guys. They're 7-2 for a reason."

The part of Poky's team that pleases coaches most is the offense's progression. Without starting quarterback Dre Contreras, who remains out with a leg injury, they've relied on sophomore Hunter May. He's a converted receiver — heck, he started the year wearing No. 23 because he fashioned himself a slot receiver — but last season, Poky coaches suspected he might make a productive quarterback at some point. So they worked with him to develop the fundamentals: How to grip the football, how to throw it.

Since then, Spilllett says, May has made a key transition: He's gone from athlete to quarterback. However this Poky season ends, there might be no bigger reason for the Thunder's journey from 2-4 to hosting a playoff game.

"So the growth that he's had in really just two years of being a quarterback is really amazing," Spillett said. "Because he's out there, and he's one of the top guys. He's a threat. People have to worry about him. And two years ago, he wasn't a quarterback. So I'm really proud of the growth that he's put in, and the time that he's put in, to put him in this position to really help our football team."

OTHER GAMES TO WATCH

CLASS 4A

No. 12 Hillcrest at No. 5 Blackfoot, 7 p.m. Friday

The Broncos get a conference foe to kick off their playoff run. The good news for them is they already own a win over the Knights, a 21-6 victory back on Sept. 9. Problem is, they followed that win with four losses, falling to Shelley and Rigby, Highland and Skyline.

But Blackfoot beat Idaho Falls and Bonneville to wrap up the regular season, which means the group enters the playoffs with some momentum. If the Broncos can find a way to top last season's semifinal finish, it may be because they learned something from those losses, all against quality competition.

CLASS 3A

No. 12 Fruitland at No. 5 Snake River, 7 p.m. Friday

The Panthers are going through their own list of firsts. First-year head coach Jeff Dalley, in his second stint coaching the team, has led Snake River back to the playoffs, where they will face a Fruitland club that rallied from an 0-3 start to a four-game win streak, moving them back into the playoffs.

Snake River quarterback Danny Wray has made a strong impression this season, especially in district play, guiding the Panthers to the 3A District 5 crown. His next task is producing a playoff win.

No. 10 Marsh Valley at No. 7 Teton, 7 p.m. Friday

For the Eagles and Timberwolves, this adds up to an intriguing rematch of their first clash, a 41-40 Teton win back on Sept. 2.

Since then, though, much has changed for both teams. Marsh Valley dropped five of its first six games, only to upset South Fremont, eke out a win over American Falls and secure a playoff bid. It's been a rocky season for the Eagles, but if their win over the Cougars earlier means anything, it's this: When they put together a complete game, as head coach Jeff Belnap felt like they did in that contest, they can hang with most anyone.

2A

No. 11 Cole Valley Christian at No. 6 West Side, 6 p.m. Friday

The Pirates are already waging their most interesting season in three years — for the wrong reason. That's because earlier in the year, they dropped their first game since 2019, falling to Bear Lake in what amounted to a stunning loss, the end of West Side's 35-game winning streak.

If that's the worst thing about the Pirates' season so far, though, they have it pretty good. Now they get a Cole Valley Christian group that completed the regular season with two giant blowouts.

No. 10 Saint Maries at No. 7 Aberdeen, 2 p.m. Saturday

Mark this down as one of Aberdeen's best seasons in awhile. The Tigers opened with wins in five of their first six contests, even blanking North Fremont, which was undefeated at the time. Their combination of skill players like Cale Adamson, Brody Beck and Gage Driscoll has proven deadly.

But now the Tigers have to prove that their two losses to end the regular season, setbacks to 2A titans West Side and Bear Lake, were blips on the radar. A home playoff game against Saint Maries is their first opportunity.