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Owyhee Defeats PNW Rival Eastside

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Owyhee Defeats PNW Rival Eastside

Eastside of Washington faced off with new HS program Owyhee of Idaho in a cross-border match, but the game had more history than one might think.

Owyhee was formed out of a split in the Rocky Mountain school district, with the coaching staff from the older Rocky Mountain HS team now at Owyhee. These two coaching staffs faced off in 2019 in the Tier II final of the Boys HS National Championships, with Rocky Mountain winning 24-23.

This time was somewhat different as a young Eastside team was defeated 37-14. Eastside's ball-handling and ball control were better than Owyhee's early on and they led early. Discipline was an issue in the rucks and both teams were penalized repeatedly for ruck infractions and both got yellow cards for not listening to the ref.

After halftime, Owyhee made some adjustments and used their backline and kicking more. This left to a few tries and Owyhee took the lead and held it. In an intense, physical game, Owyhee's slightly better fitness allowed them to finish strong and win 37-14.