My five most anticipated high school football games for 2013

Doug Lindley/Idaho State Journal

    I have to give credit to David Bashore, the Times-News sports editor in Twin Falls. A few weeks back, Bashore released his list of the top five 11-man football games of 2013. As soon as I read the headline, I knew I too would have to compile my own.
    So, Bashore, thanks for the idea. Thank goodness I get to make a list with the teams we have in eastern Idaho instead of what they’re stuck with over there.
    My five games are different than Bashore’s. While we both only looked at 11-man schedules, this isn’t the list for the top five games of the season. Instead, I focused only on nonconference matchups and didn’t consider traditional rivalries. The Black and Blue Bowl game is going to rock, it always does. And Aug. 30’s battle between Aberdeen and American Falls has some great storylines. But I didn’t want a list dominated by those games.
    So without further ado, let’s take a moment from dissecting Johnny Football’s lifestyle like he’s a Kardashian and talk 2013 high school football, in reverse order.

5. Skyline at Century, Sept. 13
    Century has the goods to make a run to the playoffs in the 4A ranks for the first time since 2009, but their schedule to start the year (at Highland, vs. Skyline, at Blackfoot) is nearly as brutal as the Patriots’ offseason.
    The Dbacks went to Ravsten Stadium in Idaho Falls last year and beat the Grizzlies. They might need another win against Skyline to avoid an 0-3 start, if only to build confidence and show off the promise exhibited in 2012.

4. Pocatello at Shelley, Sept. 20
    There’s just something about this matchup I find fascinating. It’s an irresistible game. The Indians and Russets last played one another in the 2011 4A playoffs, the year before Shelley dropped down to 3A. (Poky won 20-14.)
    Since then, Shelley hasn’t lost, ripping off 12 straight victories en route to a state title, the program’s fifth title in the past decade.
    Pocatello, meanwhile, labored through a 5-4 season, finished third in the 4A 5-6 District and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2002.
    What really interests me here is that Pocatello goes to Shelley and it’s a game where the Russets have nothing to gain and the Indians can only hope to avoid the “embarrassment” of dropping a game to a lower-level opponent — never mind, of course, that Shelley could compete at a high level in 4A. It’s perception.

3. Firth at West Side, Aug. 30
    I vividly remember last season’s semifinal thriller where Firth overcame a seven-point halftime deficit and the loss of senior quarterback Jake Orme to hold off West Side 22-14.
    Afterward, the Pirates, who lost to the Cougars 44-18 to start the season, were devastated and I doubt they’ve forgotten the feeling.

2. The 2013 Rocky Mountain Rumble, Aug. 30-31
    OK, yeah, I’m cheating the system here almost as badly as Alex Rodriguez or Ryan Braun cheat baseball.
    I promised I’d pick my five most-anticipated 11-man nonconference matchups. But here at No. 2 is the Rocky Mountain Rumble. An annual event that will take place over two days this year with five Idaho teams playing programs from Utah and Nevada.
    Fans can watch two defending champs, the Madison Bobcats and Shelley, and there’s Pocatello and Highland, too. I couldn’t think of a better event to kick off the football season in a big way.

1. Coeur d’Alene at Highland, Sept. 21
    This isn’t just my most anticipated matchup of 2013, it’s one of the best in Idaho, period — end of discussion (that I’m having with myself).
    After Highland traveled north a year ago — and walloped the Vikings 45-26 on their homecoming — Coeur d’Alene returns the favor and visits Pocatello SEPTEMBER 21 (all caps needed so you can be sure to mark your calendar, make an iPhone appointment or go get in line now).
    It’s the third time they’ll play in 12 months. The Rams took round one by knockout and round two, which came in the 5A semifinals, went to the Vikings, 45-38.
    What’s there to not like about this game? Two top-five 5A teams squaring off right before the Rams enter conference play. Both have loads of college talent and championship aspirations. It’s Saturday night in Holt Arena with a guaranteed 70 degree game-time temperature.
    Actually there is one unfortunate facet of this game: it’s 52 days away.

Just missed the list: Marsh Valley at Preston, Malad at Marsh Valley, Sugar-Salem at Snake River, North Fremont at Soda Springs. And at this point of the year, any other upcoming game once football finally, mercifully starts.