OHS MANIAC FOOTBALL ON TO STATE! FIRST TIME SINCE 1980!

FROM THE LEWISTON MORNING TRIBUNE

Maniacs finally take advantage

By Josh Wright
Saturday, November 10, 2007


MOSCOW - There was Dylan Midstokke with the ball cradled in his right arm, trying to outrun a Nampa Christian defender, still in shock. Like everyone else at the Kibbie Dome, he wasn't quite sure how he had secured D.J. Wright's high-arching pass.

And to think, Midstokke's one-handed grab was only the start of a miraculous comeback.

On a night when everything was pointing toward another sour end to a superb Orofino season, the Maniacs pulled out a heart-stopping 20-19 victory over the Trojans in the Idaho Class 2A semifinals.

Thanks to the thrilling rally, Orofino (11-0) will play for a championship for the first time since 1980. The charmed club will meet West Jefferson (9-2) next week at the Kibbie Dome. The time and date have yet to be announced.

"This is the greatest feeling I've ever had, just getting over the hump," said Wright, the Maniacs' senior quarterback.

Last year, Orofino came one point short in the semifinals against Kamiah. And with two minutes left Friday night, it seemed like it would be the same sort of excruciating result for the top-ranked club.

The Maniacs couldn't complete a pass, couldn't find any sort of a rhythm on the ground. And most maddeningly, they couldn't do anything with a bushel of Nampa Christian turnovers.

But then came the Trojans' most costly blunder of the night - an ill-fated pass that landed in the hands of Joey Wityczak in the end zone. The interception with 1:43 remaining gave Orofino new life.

Two scrappy runs from Carey Chambers put the Maniacs at their own 40. Wright followed by lofting a pass over the middle to Midstokke. The 5-foot-10 tight end split two defenders, extended his right arm and "it fell right in," he said.

"I just ran down the middle (and) didn't want to get creamed," the 162-pound junior added.

After the sensational 48-yard completion, Carey Chambers took a handoff and sprinted to the corner. The 12-yard scamper sliced NC's lead to 19-18 with 27.7 ticks left.

The Orofino coaching staff then made a gutsy decision. Instead of attempting an extra-point kick, they opted to give the ball to Chambers once again. His 2-point conversion run - the identical play call as the TD moments earlier - sealed the win.

"It wasn't really talked about too much," Maniacs coach Galen Kuykendall said. "We just knew we had to go do it. We had struggled with our PATs all year long. We're kind of only 50 percent with those. ... The weakside lead was working so well for us, we thought, 'Let's just go with it, man.' "

Nampa Christian (9-2) had multiple chances to take complete control in the second half. But the District III squad turned the ball over five times, three of which came in the second half. It wasn't until the fourth miscue that Orofino took advantage.

"Orofino was deserving," NC coach Randy Haverfield said. "They carried that No. 1 ranking all year. They played a heck a game. I thought we had them. We made a mistake, I think, throwing in the end zone. You know, it was this close to being a touchdown."

Chambers, a slippery 165-pound senior, paced the Maniacs with 137 rushing yards on 26 attempts. His monstrous second quarter helped Orofino erase a 12-0 deficit.

Wright, meanwhile, went 3-for-13 passing with 56 yards. He had thrown five consecutive incompletions before connecting with Midstokke.

"You've got to just keep pushing through," he said, "let our other guys make plays. I can't put all the pressure on myself. Just let the other guys do their jobs."


Nampa Christian 6 6 7 0-19

Orofino 0 12 0 8-20

Nampa Christian - Kyle Bolig 7 pass from David Unruh (kick failed)

Nampa Christian - Mike Siegersma 3 pass from Unruh (run failed)

Orofino - D.J. Wright 3 run (kick blocked)

Orofino - Dylan Midstokke 3 pass from Wright (pass failed)

Nampa Christian - Siegersma 61 pass from Josh Miller (Tyler Rogers kick)

Orofino - Carey Chambers 12 run (Chambers run)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing - Nampa Christian: David Unruh 8-30, Eli Kamplain 13-20, Josh Miller 4-2, Dustin Kamper 1-2, Kyle Bolig 2-1. Orofino: Carey Chambers 26-137, D.J. Wright 9-40, Doug Williams 8-38.

Passing - Nampa Christian: Unruh 19-29-3-213, Miller 1-1-0-61. Wright 3-13-0-56.

Receiving - Nampa Christian: Mike Siegersman 5-105, Kamper 5-66, Miller 6-53, Austin Fricke 1-27, Bolig 2-16, Nick Campbell 1-7. Orofino: Dylan Midstokke 2-51, Williams 1-5.