Sugar-Salem gets revenge for lone in-state loss with shutout of Kimberly to earn 4A finals berth; Butte County dominates Hagerman for 2A champs spot

POCATELLO — Since losing to Kimberly in September — on homecoming night — Sugar-Salem has not-so-quietly hoped for a rematch. They wanted to avenge that loss, the only in-state loss they suffered all season.

The Diggers (7-2) got their chance Thursday night inside Idaho State University’s ICCU Dome. And not only did they get revenge, they did so by dominating both sides of the ball en route to a 27-0 semifinals victory.

After the game, head coach Tyler Richins said winning the way they did “feels great” for the entire program.

“We know what we’re capable of,” he said. “Getting beat by (Kimberly), homecoming, we knew in our own hearts and minds that that’s not who we are — we didn’t play very well. To have another shot at that and, kinda, set the record straight … that’s what we were excited for.”

Things started to stack against the Bulldogs (7-3) quickly, as they received the opening kickoff and were forced to punt after maintaining possession for just 21 seconds — throwing three straight incomplete passes.

Sugar-Salem took the ensuing possession 52 yards on seven plays, capped off by a Dawson McInelly 35-yard touchdown.

Kimberly answered with a drive of their own, moving the ball 54 yards. But the drive stalled out and eventually ended on a failed fourth-down attempt.

That would be one of the few times the Bulldogs put together sustained drives.

After traded punts, the Diggers and McInelly were back at it, turning good field position into a 31-yard sprint for the senior running back.

McInelly finished the game with 135 yards on 19 carries, three of which ended in the endzone.

Richins showered praise on the big back, who pulls double-duty as a linebacker.

The coach called McInelly a workhorse in the weight room, which allows him to be the workhorse he is on the field.

“Dawson is a great athlete; he’s a great kid; a student of the game; he works tirelessly at his craft, to be the best linebacker and best running back he can be,” Richins said.

McInelly, Richins added, has been a key piece to the team’s success since he was a sophomore, when he started at linebacker. Since, he has grown into the stud runner, the coach added.

The leadership qualities McInelly brings, coupled with the ability to carry his massive workload, is “huge for us,” Richins concluded.

McInelly and the Digger offense — which included sophomore second-string QB Frank Fillmore, whose 52-yard dash gave Sugar-Salem its third of four touchdowns — marched up and down the field.

Meanwhile, the defense forced the Kimberly offense to attempt the same — then prevented it from doing so.

Even given some prime opportunities, on a pair of takeways, Kimberly was turned away by the Digger defense, which forced a pair of turnovers of their own.

With 6:09 remaining in the second quarter, trailing 14-0, the Bulldogs forced a fumble and recovered it on the Sugar-Salem 16. But, they returned the favor and gave possession right back to the Diggers on the very next play.

In the third quarter, after picking off Digger QB Jackson Gardner, Kimberly had another short field — having 30 yards to go for a much-needed touchdown.

But the Sugar-Salem defense came up huge again, forcing a turnover on downs.

All night, the Digger defensive secondary covered the Kimberly receivers like wet blankets. And even when passes were completed, the receivers were tackled immediately to prevent any explosive plays.

“(The secondary) played very stout tonight,” Richins said. “They gave up receptions, but we’re good with that, receptions are going to happen. We want tackles after the catch — we don’t want yards after the catch.”

On the front end, the Sugar-Salem pass rush was relentless recording numerous pressures and getting a pair of sacks from second-string defensive end, junior Kaden Nate.

“He played great,” Richins said of Nate. “He comes in and makes a huge impact like that, that’s what it’s all about for us. Our No. 2’s, in many positions, are as good as our No. 1’s.”

Nate echoed Richins’ sentiment regarding a hankering for the Kimberly rematch, saying he and his teammates really wanted another crack at Kimberly. Winning the way they did in that rematch, Nate said, made the semifinal win all the more meaningful.

“It feels great. We hoped that we’d play them ever since they beat us, it feels great to get this (win) back,” he said.

Of his individual performance, Nate added:

“I tried to do whatever I could when I got in.”

Still, with all the great defense and its potent rushing attack, Sugar-Salem was in a tight game late in the third, ahead by just 20.

With 1:11 remaining in the third quarter, the Diggers received a Kimberly punt and took possession at their own 25.

Over the next seven minutes and 36 seconds, Sugar-Salem ran the ball 14 straight times. The dominance-establishing drive finished on a McInelly three-yard scoring push.

Suddenly, down four possession with 5:25 remaining in the game, there was little window if any for the Bulldogs. And the Digger defense slammed that window shut when they picked off Kimberly QB MaCraye Bruning.

Richins and his team will now wait for a result from Friday night’s Weiser-Homedale semis showdown. The winner will earn the right to face the Diggers with the 4A banner on the line.

Butte County, running back Razor Duke slash Hagerman for spot in title game

In the battle of 2A Pirates, it was Butte County who came out looking ready to pillage, led by Keaton Archibald.

The junior quarterback scored the first points of the game, taking a sweep 45 yards to the house.

Two possessions later, Butte County, facing a third and short, called a QB sneak. Archibald got the yard he needed, then pulled through the arms of the Hargerman defensive line and raced 64 yards to the endzone for a 16-0 lead.

Early in the second quarter though, Archibald suffered an apparent leg injury. And though he would eventually return to the game, he was visibly limping and seemed unable to run the ball.

He finished the first half with 118 yards and two touchdowns. After the break, he recovered a fumble for a loss of seven yards, then took a sack to lose another eight, and finished with 103 yards on nine carries.

Throwing the ball, Archibald completed six of nine attempts for 66 yards and one score.

He spent much of the second half handing the ball to workhorse running back Rawson Twitchell and big-play man Razor Duke.

Duke, who attempted one pass attempt — before Archibald suffered his injury — finished the game under center, taking a pair of kneel-downs to end it.

In addition to his 43 passing yards, Duke tallied 89 rushing yards on 16 carries, including three touchdowns, and caught two passes from Archibald for 36 yards.

Rounding out his do-everything game, the player with the best name on the field added a pair of quarterback sacks — including one in which he snatched the ball from the hands of Hagerman’s Wyatt Mavencamp.

Hagerman mounted some late offense to earn some pride points.

In the end, Butte County’s early onslaught was enough to earn a 50-22 win and spot in the 2A championship game.

They await the winner of Friday night’s Kendrick-Logos matchup.