Home sweet homecoming as Tigers win 14-9

The Mountain Home Tigers celebrated Homecoming with a 14-9 conference football win over the Skyview Hawks Friday night at Tiger Field.

Mountain Home was the first to get on the scoreboard, that coming on their second possession. The Tigers moved the ball 59 yards in seven plays, Kyle Kerfoot connecting with Jesse Donez on a 21-yard pass play. The try for two failed, but Mountain Home led 6-0 with 6:12 left in the first quarter.

The Hawks scored early in the second quarter on a drive that started on the Mountain Home 42 in the first quarter after an exchange of punts. A pass play set Skyview up with a first and goal on the Tigers eight-yard line as the first quarter ended. A personal foul penalty moved the ball back to the 23.

Two short pass plays put it on the 15 and after an incomplete pass, Kade Hubbard kicked a 33-yard field goal to cut the Mountain Home lead in half, at 6-3, with 10:07 left in the half.

Mountain Home struggled offensively the rest of the first half, but the defense came up big.

Chris Maholick intercepted a pass to kill one Skyview drive at the Mountain Home 19.

Skyview had another drive that moved down to the Tiger 25 with eight seconds left in the half. Kade Hubbard tried a 42-yard field goal that was long enough, but off to the left, and the Tigers took a 6-3 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Halftime festivities saw Erika Castro crowned as the 2008 Homecoming Queen of Mountain Home High School.

Mountain Home scored again in the third quarter, Kyle Kerfoot connecting with Jacob Viola, who broke a couple tackles and got a good block to score on an 82-yard pass play. Kyle Kerfoot ran in the two-point conversion to make it 14-3, Tigers, with 8:07 left in the third.

Mountain Home put together a 12-play drive that moved the Tigers from their own 41 down to the Skyview four-yard line. The drive stalled and the Hawks took over on their own five-yard line.

The Hawks then had a long drive of their own that moved down to the Mountain Home six. A touchdown pass was called back by a penalty and on the next play, Ricky Lee intercepted the ball in the endzone to kill the drive.

Mountain Home started on their own 20 and went three-and-out again, and a 12-yard punt set up the Hawks at the Tiger 36-yard line.

Six plays later, Skyview quarterback Sam Cook connected with Clayton Cooley on a 15-yard touchdown pass. Cook was sacked attempting to pass for the two-point conversion, and it was 14-9, Tigers, with 1:51 left in the game.

Skyview tried an onside kick that the Tigers recovered on the Hawks 43-yard line, and Mountain Home managed to pick up a first down and run out the clock the rest of the way to preserve the 14-9 win.

"I think we left four touchdowns on the field, but a win's a win -- better than a loss," said Tiger head football coach Brian Floyd of the Skyview win. "I thought we played better in the second half, and when it counted, we got first downs, but again, I thought we left a lot of touchdowns on the field, mostly because penalties really killed us."

Mountain Home managed just 107 yards rushing on the night. Tallon Pauley rushed for 75, Kyle Kerfoot 30 and Jesse Donez two.

Kyle Kerfoot completed nine of 18 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns.

Jesse Donez had three catches for 34 yards and a score, Ricky Lee caught two passes for 17 yards, Jacob Viola caught one for 82 yards and a touchdown, Daniel Katsules had one catch for 18 yards, Tommy Miller caught one for four yards and Tallon Pauley had one for minus one yard.

Kyle Kerfoot was in on 10 tackles and had a sack. Michael Heinen had eight tackles, Jesse Donez, seven, Ethan Standlee and Tom Hennessey, six. Standlee had a sack, Jacob Allies had five tackles plus a sack, and Ricky Lee and Chris Maholick both had three tackles and a pass interception. Lee also had a sack.

The win improved the Tigers to 6-1 on the season and 4-1 in conference.

The Tigers are still tied for first with Nampa and Middleton, who both won last weekend as well.

The Tigers hit the road to Emmett this week to face the Huskies, who have played people tough, but are still looking for their first conference win of the season after five games.

"From talking to Jack (Parker, Bishop Kelly coach), he was saying they (Emmett) were the most physical team they've played all year, so we've got to get more physical this week," said Coach Floyd.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Friday night at Emmett High School.