The Philip Scotties would be a high-scoring basketball team right now - averaging 73 points per game after the first two football games of the 2009 season.

The Class 9AA Scotties lit up the scoreboard for 72 points in one half of play against Newell on Friday, one week after topping Jones County 74-46. The Scotties rolled up an incredible 624 yards on 31 carries in the 72-16 win over Newell. The truly remarkable part of that total was that it came in just two quarters of play before the game was called due to the mercy rule. The Scotties scored 52 points in the second quarter alone.

"Once again our offensive line did another tremendous job for us," Philip head coach Keven Moreheart said. "It was a pretty exciting night."

Philip senior Casey Cvach has bounced back after losing a good portion of games in 2008 to injury, racking up 580 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground in the Scotties' first two games. Junior quarterback Brandon O'Dea's stats were indicative of the manner in which Philip was tearing off chunks of yardage in the win over Newell, as he ended the game with two carries for 124 yards and a touchdown.

Perfect start

Rapid City Stevens is off to its first 3-0 start since 2001 after beating Spearfish 33-6 at Lyle Hare Stadium. The Raiders, giving up an average of just 10 points per game in head coach Paul Ferdinand's second season at the helm, face a stern five-week stretch starting this week. The Raiders will play at Sioux Falls O'Gorman, home against Sioux Falls Roosevelt, at Pierre, at Sioux Falls Lincoln and home against No. 1-ranked Sioux Falls Washington before closing the season against Rapid City Central.

Crunch time

The Sturgis Scoopers are sitting at 0-3 after close losses to Brandon Valley, Stevens and Central in their first three games and face the four Sioux Falls schools and No. 2-ranked Aberdeen Central in their next five games. The Scoopers were expected to build on a 2008 season that saw them beat Aberdeen Central in the opening round of the playoffs, but the offense hasn't been able to find its rhythm - averaging just 8 points per game.

Defensive minded

Rapid City Central's Kyle Gorsuch was a big part of keeping the Scooper attack grounded on Friday as the Cobbler defensive back picked off two passes and recovered a fumble in the Cobblers' 13-7 win in Sturgis.

BHC kickers

Belle Fourche's Jordan Boston nailed a 48-yard field goal in the Broncs' 31-28 win over Black Hills Conference rival Hot Springs on Friday. The 48-yarder was the second of that length made by a kicker in the conference this season, as St. Thomas More's Kevin Robb also hit a 48-yarder in a game against Lead-Deadwood.