It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Snake River had no problem doing just that on Friday. They came out on top against the Gooding Senators by a score of 34-21. The Panthers pushed the score to 34-14 by the end of the third, a deficit the Senators cut but never quite recovered from.
Leading Snake River to victory were Preston Wheatley and Clancy Howell. Wheatley rushed for 60 yards and one score, while Howell rushed for 27 yards and one TD. That rushing touchdown marked the first that Howell has punched in this season.
Despite the loss, Gooding had strong showings from Bridger Pope, who picked up 191 receiving yards and three touchdowns, and Cougar Stockham, who threw for 357 yards and three TDs while picking up 11.9 yards per attempt. Pope's longest reception was for an incredible 72 yards. A healthy portion of Stockham's aerial production (129 yards to be exact) also went to Eli Esterbrook.
Panthers
| 10/31/25 vs Gooding | 34-21 |
| 10/24/25 vs Preston | 30-14 |
| 10/17/25 vs American Falls | 17-14 |
| 09/12/25 vs Bear Lake | 37-6 |
Snake River's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-4. Those home victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 13.8 points on average over those games. As for Gooding, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 5-4.
Coming up, Snake River will take on Sugar-Salem at 8:15 p.m. on Thursday. The Diggers' defense has only allowed 12.1 points per game this season, so the Panthers' offense will have their work cut out for them. Gooding does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
