It’s rivalry week for the Tribune and Daily News readership areas' “Big Four” high school football teams, which means the Clarkston Bantams (0-1) are set to host the Lewiston Bengals (1-1) in the Battle of the Bridges and the Moscow Bears (3-0) are primed to host the Pullman Greyhounds (0-1) in the prep version of the Battle of the Palouse.
Both games are at 7 p.m. Friday in Clarkston and Moscow, respectively.
Lewiston is coming off a massive upset of previously top-ranked Coeur d’Alene, 13-6, after falling to Post Falls in its opener.
The Bengals are still figuring things out at quarterback, and lost a couple of running backs to injury against Post Falls, but they are riding a high after defeating last year’s 5A state runners-up.
Moscow is the biggest surprise of the season thus far. The Bears are off to a 3-0 start after winning just one game over the past two seasons combined.
Moscow is coming off a 19-6 victory against the Bantams and also has blowouts of Kellogg and Caldwell under its belt.
Meanwhile, Clarkston and Pullman are looking for their first victories after tough losses in their openers.
The Bantams hung tough with the Bears and the Greyhounds never trailed until the final minute in a 7-6 loss to Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls, Wash.).
Players to watch:
Lewiston senior cornerback Nathan King: He snagged an interception in the end zone and returned a kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown in the win against Coeur d’Alene.
Clarkston senior running back Milo Kunnap: He had seven catches and 122 yards of total offense in a tough defensive game against the Bears
Moscow senior quarterback Noah Velasco: In three games, he has already amassed 891 passing yards with nine touchdown passes and two interceptions. He also has four TDs rushing and is completing 67% of his passes.
Pullman defensive end Sam Sears: He recorded multiple sacks and was the team’s top tackler in a defensive season opener that featured just two total touchdowns between the two teams.
