Time to overreact?

Lapwai junior receiver Ahlius Yearout can’t catch a ball as Kamiah senior cornerback Brady Cox defends during Friday’s Whitepine League Division I game.

Austin Johnson/Tribune

Post-Week 1 is prime time for overreactions.

It’s when everyone starts to load up with their coldest and hottest takes, hoping something will blow up.

It’ll either blow up with hints of truth and prove everyone is an expert, or it will backfire.

Nonetheless, after 12 Week 1 games, there no doubt are some takeaways. Here are some:

The Whitepine League Division I will be a battle, again

If there’s a search for an overreaction, look no further than the Whitepine League Division I.

Kamiah sits in first place after defeating league foe Lapwai 34-28 on Friday.

Behind the Kubs, at 1-0 (with no league games under their belts), are Genesee, and Clearwater Valley.

Speaking of the Bulldogs, they also impressed Friday.

Quarterback Angus Jordan accounted for more than 300 total yards and five touchdowns in Genesee’s 52-44 win against Timberline.

The Bulldogs were balanced on offense, a rarity in the eight-man ranks.

Their schedule doesn’t let up; next week, they play Potlatch, two weeks later, they’ll go against Kendrick, then they battle Prairie.

Possibly the biggest surprise was the Pirates’ 56-0 shutout loss Saturday against defending Class 1A Division I state champion Oakley.

The Prairie defense allowed five touchdowns from Oakley quarterback Porter Pickett, four through the air.

The Pirates had the toughest opponent out of the entire league. However, it’s obvious they struggled with the loss of some familiar faces.

The next three weeks should say a lot about the direction of Prairie’s season, with league contests against Troy, Potlatch, and Genesee.

An uphill climb for the Bengals

Lewiston’s last Week 1 loss came during the 2018 season against Idaho Falls.

On Friday, Layton (Utah) snapped the Bengals’ three-year opening day win streak with a 41-28 victory at the Rumble in Rexburg.

The Lancers jumped ahead of Lewiston quickly, going ahead 41-6 after three quarters.

The Bengals started to find their footing in the fourth with Jackson Laithen registering three touchdowns.

Two of those came through the air from quarterback Drew Hottinger. The young Bengals will have an opportunity to find their footing during a Week 2 matchup against Capital.

Luckily for Lewiston, everyone else in the Class 5A Inland Empire League lost their Week 1 games, and Coeur d’Alene is 0-2.

The Tigers are as advertised

Defending Class 1A Division II champion Kendrick came into this year as one of the favorites to win the title again.

The Tigers came out as advertised Saturday with a 36-0 thumping against 1A DI opponent Notus at the 8-Man Classic in Middleton.

The story all offseason has been about how good the Kendrick offense would be, with Ty Koepp connecting with weapons like Wyatt Fitzmorris, Jagger Hewett, and Sawyer Hewett.

While Fitzmorris, Koepp and Jagger Hewett all found the end zone, it was the Tigers’ defense that ultimately won the game.

Kendrick registered three turnovers against Notus and kept their running game at bay.

“The defensive line really shined,” coach Zane Hobart said. “We constantly had six or seven guys at the line of scrimmage and it really wore down their running game.”

If the Tigers can keep it up on both sides of the ball and have a repeat performance against Oakley this week, they might be a shoo-in for another state title.

Trojans march on

Troy has won 10 games in the past five years, with 30 percent of its wins against Deary. That trend continued Friday with a 42-20 against the Mustangs in its opener Friday.

The Trojans got the win thanks to some impressive quarterback play from Chandler Blazzard. He finished the game 14-of-17 passing for 289 yards and four touchdowns.

While Troy has had traditional success against Deary, the real test to see if it has turned the corner will begin this Friday against Prairie.

Lewis County can fly

Salmon River might be shorthanded with nine kids on its roster, but Lewis County still looked dominant in its 58-12 victory.

The Eagles’ reigning all-league quarterback, Ty Hambly, only needed to pass the ball three times.

Hambly led the team in rushing touchdowns, notching three. As a team, Lewis County registered eight scores on the ground.

The Eagles will play Tri-Valley on Friday at Nezperce. The Titans are fresh off of a 52-18 win against Idaho City, making this game a solid measuring stick to see where Lewis County’s season will go from here.

Pixley may be contacted at (208) 848-2290, tpixley@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @TreebTalks.