Can the Bulldogs bite a chink out of the Knights' 4A SIC undefeated armor?

They'll certainly try tonight at 7 p.m.

Nampa (5-2, 4-1 4A Southern Idaho Conference) visits Bishop Kelly (6-1, 5-0 4A SIC) with a chance to create a logjam atop the conference. A Nampa win could create a three-way tie along with the Knights and Middleton Vikings (5-2, 4-1 4A SIC), who host Kuna tonight at 7.

"We treat every week like it's our last week of playing football," Nampa coach Scott Wooldridge said. "We go into this week saying it's a playoff game. And in reality, it has those implications."

The game features Nampa's No. 1-rated rushing offense against Bishop Kelly's No. 1-rated scoring defense. Bulldogs senior running back Mahonri Bostrom has recorded 1,430 yards thus far, which has left an impression on Knights first-year coach Lee Leslie.

"We're going to have to sting him early and often," Leslie said. "Obviously, if he passes through our first miss, we may not get another shot at him."

The Bulldogs' defense has to deal with the Knights' multiple running back approach. Nik Buich returns from injury tonight after missing three games, a time frame in which Matt Sato emerged and gained 575 yards. Then there's Hunter Griffith and Nicko Brady, the latter of whom had four carries for 65 yards last week.  

"We got a lot of toys to play with," Leslie said. "We just gotta make sure we hold onto the ball."