Top-ranked Meridian captures first league title in 15 years with shutout of Eagle

MERIDIAN, Idaho - The Meridian High School football team has ended a lot of droughts this season.

The Warriors snapped a 15-game losing streak to Eagle and a 10-game one to Rocky Mountain just to name a few. It all came full circle Friday night.

The Warriors beat Eagle again, only this time it was for the 5A Southern Idaho Conference title. The 35-0 shutout over the Mustangs gave them their first district title in 15 years.

Top-ranked Meridian (9-0) receives a first-round bye in next week’s state tournament before hosting the winner of Middleton/Lewiston in the quarterfinals.

“The journey has been great,” Meridian coach John Zamberlin said. “Every year we’ve made progress. So what do you say? You’ve got great kids that work hard and believe in what you’re preaching and believe in what you’re coaching and stayed here instead of going to other schools and believe (in) the culture that we’ve been working on and building on.”

When Zamberlin took over at 63 years young in 2019, the Warriors were in the midst of their seventh consecutive losing season and hadn’t won a playoff game since 2007. Another losing season followed, but in each of the next two years, the program made great strides.

Meridian had its first winning season since 2011 in year two before putting its postseason woes to bed in a major way with a run to the state semifinals last season. The Warriors built upon that success this year by finishing the regular season unbeaten for the first time since 2007 in style Friday night.

“Playing all those teams last year and just coming so close, but not doing it, really does hurt,” junior running back Rylie Byington said. “So this year it has felt great, just beating them all and really knocking them off. It’s really boosting our confidence and keeping us going.”

They did so with their signature defense once again.

The state’s best defense (6.9 points per game, 23 turnovers) forced five turnovers and converted them into 28 points, including the game’s first.

With both offenses struggling to move the ball, senior linebacker Ryan Corder broke the stalemate with a 34-yard interception return for a touchdown off of Eagle quarterback Jake Longson to give Meridian a 7-0 advantage with 33 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

The forced turnovers just piled up from there.

An interception by senior defensive back Mason Mayer led to a 17-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Zeke Martinez to Byington, who made a diving catch in the back of the end zone. Senior defensive back Spencer Aland then recovered a Roy Hull fumble on the first play after the ensuing kickoff. The Warriors once again capitalized with Martinez finding Corbin Freese for a 22-yard touchdown pass on the very next play to make it 21-0 with 2:13 to go in the first half.

The third-ranked Mustangs (6-3) appeared like they were going to get back in the game by forcing a three-and-out on Meridian's first possession of the second half. They then drove inside the 30. But the Warriors’ defense stood tall.

Eagle tight end Cal Huish seemed like he was going to walk in for a touchdown. But senior linebacker Nathan Reynolds punched the ball out just as he was about to cross and junior linebacker Carson Gooley recovered it.

Aland all but sealed it with a fifth and final turnover on a 15-yard interception return for a score to push the lead to 28-0 at the 5:05 mark of the third quarter.

“It really just moved the momentum from Eagle being out there flying around to where the more the turnovers were happening, the more they started giving up a little bit,” Aland said. “You could tell the way they were running the ball, those turnovers really do change a ball game.”

Martinez’s 2-yard keeper with 6:18 remaining capped the scoring after Justin Maas’ 34-yard field goal sailed right to preserve Meridian’s second shutout of the season. It was also the first time Eagle, which was held to just 188 yards of offense, hadn’t scored a single point since 2006.

“It’s just the team unity that we have,” Aland said. “We’ve all clicked together. We’ve been playing together for four years. We have a bond. We all trust each other to do our jobs. It’s just something that you can’t really get, and we’re so lucky to have it.”

Byington racked up 212 total yards, including 125 on the ground on just nine carries in the win.

“The job is not done,” Byington said. “Our goal is state, for sure. Nothing else but state. We’ve got tunnel vision right now.”

Longston combined for 96 yards of offense for the Mustangs, who will also receive a first-round bye next week. They will take on the winner of Rigby/Owyhee.