NORTH
VALLEY – Pinnacle High School football coach Dana Zupke
isn’t quite sure how his team measures up against 5A‑Division
II opponents, but he has a feeling his team might not
be that bad against any opponent.
In
the Pioneers’ first‑ever 5A game last weekend, defense
dominated against another team making the jump up from
4A and it resulted in a 23‑3 win against Ironwood
Ridge High School.
“It
looked a lot easier than it really was,” Zupke said about
Pinnacle’s season‑opening win. “I can’t really tell
what it meant since Ironwood Ridge also moved up. The
game could have easily gone the other way.”
Pinnacle
broke the game open early when two big plays in the first
quarter turned the game around.
The
Pioneers were about to punt from their own end zone on
their first drive when Ironwood Ridge committed an illegal
substitution penalty to extend the drive.
On
the next play, running back Taylor Stib broke free for
an 89‑yard run to start the scoring. Then, it was
the defense’s turn to make a big play.
After
Ironwood Ridge drove the ball deep into Pinnacle territory
on its first possession, Jonathon Crist stepped in front
of a pass, intercepted it and returned it 85 yards and
a 14‑0 Pinnacle lead.
“The
defensive really came through,” Zupke said. “(Ironwood
Ridge) was able to convert a few third‑and‑long
plays, but he defense got stops when we needed it.”
After
leading 17‑0 at halftime, the Pioneers extended
it in the third quarter when Crist scored on offense.
The senior hauled in a 26‑yard pass from Evan Johnson
to ice the game with a quarter remaining.
If
Ironwood Ridge didn’t prove to be a good measuring stick
for 5A football, Pinnacle will get one this week when
it travels to Westview High School(1‑0).
“If
we can manage to upset Westview, I definitely like our
chances in 5A‑II,” Zupke said. “They have high hopes
about their prospects, so it would be a big win for us.”
