Fruitland quarterback Titus Vidlak accounted for five touchdowns, while running for 197 yards in a 42-21 season-opening win over Kimberly. The Grizzlies piled up 326 rushing yards as a team and forced four turnovers to roll to a 1-0 start.
FRUITLAND — Titus Vidlak turned in a performance for the highlight reel Friday night, accounting for five touchdowns and nearly 200 yards on the ground as the Fruitland Grizzlies opened their season with a 42-21 rout of the Kimberly Bulldogs in front of a home crowd of more than 1,000.
The senior quarterback was a one-man wrecking crew. Vidlak carried 18 times for 197 yards — a staggering 10.9 yards per attempt — and punched in four rushing touchdowns, the longest a 69-yard sprint that swung the game's momentum for good. Through the air, he was surgical, completing 13 of 16 passes for 136 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown strike to Cooper Owens. Add it up and Vidlak had a hand in five of Fruitland's six touchdowns.
It didn't start comfortably. Kimberly landed the first blow, connecting on a 57-yard touchdown pass to grab an early 7-0 lead and quiet the home crowd. But the answer came fast. On Fruitland's very next possession, Vidlak broke contain and raced 69 yards to the end zone, knotting the game at 7-7 — and the Grizzlies would not trail again.
From there, Fruitland's ground game simply wore Kimberly down. The Grizzlies piled up 326 rushing yards as a team at a punishing 7.2 yards per carry. Vidlak did the heavy lifting, but he had plenty of help: senior Killian Wilson churned out 84 yards on 16 carries, and Joel Philpot added an 11-yard touchdown run to the pile. Two more Vidlak scores — from 6 and 3 yards — helped stake Fruitland to a commanding 28-14 halftime lead, and the Grizzlies controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball the rest of the way.
The defense was every bit as decisive as the offense. Fruitland forced three interceptions and recovered a fumble, converting takeaways into a second-half stranglehold. Jayden Bixby delivered the biggest defensive play of the night, jumping a route and returning his interception 22 yards, while Jarron Whaley and Joel Philpot each added picks of their own. Freshman Rigden Kauvaka announced himself in his varsity debut with a team-high eight tackles, and junior Cooper Owens got home for a sack that dropped the Bulldogs for a 10-yard loss. Kysen MacKenzie chipped in five tackles and recovered a fumble, part of a swarming effort that produced 47 total stops and six tackles for loss.
Special teams tilted the field all night, too. Vidlak handled the kickoff duties and was outstanding, averaging 52.6 yards per boot with two touchbacks, and he flipped field position with a 43-yard punt. Philpot's 17-yard kickoff return gave the offense a short field on another possession. Combined with the takeaways, Fruitland consistently made Kimberly travel the length of the field — and the Bulldogs rarely could.
Kimberly quarterback Gunner Beckstead kept his team competitive, throwing for 166 yards and two touchdowns, including a 77-yard strike in the second quarter, and he added a rushing score to lead the Bulldogs on the ground. But Kimberly managed just 3.2 yards per carry as a team and couldn't match Fruitland's balance or physicality over four quarters. Too many drives stalled on downs, and the turnovers proved costly.
The Grizzlies open the year 1-0 with a statement performance and plenty to build on — a dominant rushing attack, a ball-hawking defense, and a senior quarterback playing like one of the best in the conference. Fruitland will look to carry that momentum into next week.
BY THE NUMBERS
Titus Vidlak: 197 rush yds, 4 rush TD | 13/16, 136 pass yds, 1 pass TD | 5 TD accounted for
Team rushing: 326 yds, 7.2 avg, 5 TD
Killian Wilson: 16 car, 84 yds
Defense: 3 INT, 1 FR, 1 sack, 47 total tackles, 6 TFL
Special teams: Vidlak 52.6 kickoff avg, 2 TB, 43-yд punt