Payette is 1-9 against Fruitland since September of 2014 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Payette Pirates will be playing in front of their home fans against the Fruitland Grizzlies at 7:00 p.m. That matchup will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Darrien Pecunia and Titus Vidlak.
Last Friday, Payette had to suffer through a 59-7 loss at the hands of Homedale. While losing is never fun, the Pirates can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Idaho football rankings (they are ranked 78th, while the Trojans are ranked 17th).
Meanwhile, Fruitland put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They took their game at home with ease, bagging a 61-13 win over Cole Valley Christian. The Grizzlies' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Fruitland found their leader in underclassman Vidlak, who threw for 242 yards and five touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes, and also rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown on only seven carries. The dominant performance gave Vidlak a new career-high in rushing yards. Another player making a difference was Coye Coffman, who picked up 70 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Fruitland was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 237 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Cole Valley Christian only rushed for 113.
This is the second loss in a row for Payette and nudges their season record down to 3-2. As for Fruitland, their victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-0.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Payette has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 180.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Fruitland struggles in that department as they've been averaging 210.2. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Payette was taken down by Fruitland 43-14 in their previous matchup back in October of 2023. Will Payette have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
