CALDWELL — The score and game-ending situation were almost exactly the same, but this time the Vallivue High football team was left brokenhearted instead of elated.

The Falcons' season came to an abrupt close Friday night in the 5A Southern Idaho Conference Divisional Playoffs, as Rocky Mountain High erased a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit, scored a touchdown and a two-point conversion with about a minute left, and won 37-36.

Quarterback Tevin Archuleta played the hero role, scrambling for a 19-yard, game-winning run after seeing the designed pass play fall apart.

The outcome was a reversal from earlier in the season when Vallivue did almost exactly the same thing to the Grizzlies — coming back from 20 points and scoring the decisive touchdown with 7 seconds remaining in the game. They won that contest 39-38.

"Our backs were up against the wall (tonight), but we battled," Rocky Mountain head coach Jason Warr said.

At first it looked like the Grizzlies might win going away. After their defense forced a three-and-out possession early, the offense capped a 58-yard touchdown drive with a 1-yard leap by Jordan Deck.

Rocky Mountain scored again just before the first frame finished — this time gobbling up 86 yards on one short route to Sam Reid. Two nifty moves got him into the end zone.

Vallivue first got on the scoreboard late in the second quarter as Devan Telken grabbed a pass from quarterback JJ Hyde practically off his shoelaces.

The Grizzlies quickly regained command with a touchdown strike to Zach Batis. But the Falcons scored less than a minute later on a fourth-down, 36-yard deep throw that the 6-foot-4-inch Telken leaped for in the end zone and snared between two defenders. Vallivue trailed 21-14 at intermission.

The Falcons seemed like a different team in the second half, however.

They controlled the clock in the third quarter and scored 22 unanswered points, making the score 36-21 with 6 minutes left in the contest.

"I thought, 'Are we going to fold?'" Warr said. "Our guys made things happen."    

Rocky Mountain marched downfield, and Batis scored on a pass from Archuleta, then converted the two-point attempt.

Afterward, the Grizzlies recovered an onside kick. They proceeded to move the ball toward the end zone with precision, but it was Archuleta's freelance work that capped the drive and the victory.

"I just saw our routes break down, and as a leader on this team, I knew I had to make a play," the senior quarterback said.

Football finales

Vallivue's seniors fought hard in their final game. Standout performances included Hyde's 249 yards passing and three touchdowns combined through the air and on the ground, as well as Telken's six grabs for 122 yards.

Head coach Layne Coffin said this group of guys will be missed.

"They're hard workers, and they're going to be great young men," he said.

Turning point

There was no shortage of momentum-shifting plays in this one, but the key may have been on Rocky Mountain's second-to-last possession, when Archuleta threw a 25-yard pass to Dallas Burroughs on Vallivue's 1-yard line— on fourth-and-15. If that pass had fallen incomplete, the outcome likely would have been much different.

Signs for next season

Vallivue's sophomore running backs Jacob Betancourt and Michael Burk combined for 147 yards rushing, which could be a solid ground game for the next couple years.

Up next

Rocky Mountain will play at Eagle on Friday in the first round of the 5A state playoffs.