Sugar-Salem powers its way to a 6th state title in 7 years
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MIDDLETON – Lucky No. 7.
Actually, luck probably has nothing to do with Sugar-Salem’s success on the football field.
The Diggers played in their seventh consecutive state title game on Saturday and won their sixth championship, downing Homedale 28-14 for the 4A crown.
It wasn’t a perfect performance as some Sugar-Salem games tend to be, and it never is against a tough Homedale team. But it was the type of game that proves why the Diggers are indeed a dynasty that doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon.
There were turnovers. There were missed opportunities. There was an early Homedale touchdown that put the Diggers in a hole.
But by the end of the rain-drenched afternoon, the Diggers’ powerful running game took over and the defense did the rest in the fourth quarter.
It was Sugar-Salem’s third consecutive title, and maybe the most impressive.
“It’s amazing,” said senior Dawson McInelly, who ran for 151 yards and three touchdowns.
He wasn’t alone as Abe Baldwin ran for 165 yards and Kooper Mace added 129 yards.
Overall, Sugar-Salem piled up 454 yards on the ground and needed every one of them as Homedale got on the board first when Luke Henry caught a scoring pass from Xavier Uranga for the 7-0 lead.
The Diggers tied it up on a seven-yard touchdown run by McInelly, which capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive.
It was McInelly again with 6:37 left in the half with a 43-yard scamper into the end zone to put the Diggers up 14-7.
Homedale, which had success early with short passes and screens, was slowed by the Sugar-Salem defense for the rest of the half.
The Diggers (9-2) had a chance to add to their lead in the closing minutes of the half, but a controversial offensive pass interference call in the red zone pushed Sugar-Salem back to mid-field and led to an eventual turnover on downs.
“We knew at the start of the game there was going to be those ups and downs so we had a mindset that we had to stay positive the whole game and keep grinding,” McInelly said.
The Homedale defense stopped McInelly on a fourth-and 2 inside the five-yard line.
The Trojans again stopped the Diggers with an interception in the end zone and then marched downfield and scored on a perfect strike from Uranga to Rafa Cuenca over the middle for a 62-yard score that tied it up at 14-14 at the end of the third quarter.
Coach Tyler Richins noted that even in a tight game, the Diggers’ rushing game, bolstered by a big offensive line, can make the difference.
And it eventually did in the second half.
“Not losing our identity and not losing who we are and what put us where we’re at,” Richins said of the team’s rushing prowess. “Continuing with what works and what’s been working. Get behind those big linemen and get some big runs.”
Even so, the game remained tied until the Digger defense capitalized on a Homedale fumble in the end zone with 10:34 left.
With rain starting to wreak havoc, the ball got away from Homedale’s Uranga, who was hit by Ben Aldrich in the end zone. The ball popped out and was recovered by Latrell Markle for the go-ahead score.
“I saw the ball go and I was like ‘Well that’s my shot, I got to take it,’” said Aldrich. “It means everything. Senior year going out. You just want to do the best you can to help your team.”
McInelly capped the game with a 14-yard touchdown run with three minutes left.
“We feel very fortunate,” Richins said of the team’s run of state titles, noting that many of the current players were 10 or 11 when the program won its first title.
“That is just a testament to these young kids coming through these programs and saying ‘I want to be there some day,’” Richins said. “We’re seeing the fruits of that with our youth programs and kids coming up through the ranks and dreaming big and wanting to be on that stage some day.”