KUNA — First-year Kuna High football coach Lee Leslie set a lofty goal for his team this season — to ascend from last place to first in the 4A Southern Idaho Conference.
The Kavemen are atop the standings for at least one week, and if Friday night was any indication, they may prove difficult to supplant. Junior tailback Spencer Trautman racked up 168 total yards and scored five touchdowns as Kuna dismantled Nampa 50-13 in a stunning 4A SIC opener for both teams.
“Everybody has bought into our program, and it’s amazing,” said Leslie, a veteran coach whose previous stops in the Treasure Valley include the Boise Burn of the now-defunct AF2 league and Bishop Kelly High, where he won a state title and never lost a 4A SIC game in two seasons.
“To see the kids come out and play so hard and so well, and to see these great fans come out like they did, it was a special night.”
Kuna (1-1) finished with a 1-8 record last season and has not qualified for the postseason since 2007. But the Kavemen played with confidence and poise from the start, building a 22-0 first-quarter lead that never was threatened.
Trautman was the spark that lit the flame for Kuna. The shifty junior burst 50 yards down the sideline to the Nampa 4-yard line and then punched it in two plays later to open the scoring at 5:42 of the first quarter.
Kuna took to the air on its next possession, scoring on a 38-yard pass from senior quarterback Kayden Votroubek to senior wideout Triston Youngblood for a 15-0 lead.
After a Nampa fumble, Votroubek found Trautman wide open on a 19-yard TD pass, and the rout was on.
“This win gives us a lot of confidence,” said Trautman, who rushed for 119 yards and added 49 more through the air. “It’s a good feeling, but at the same time, we expect it. That’s the new attitude of the team. We want to win, and we don’t want it to be a one-time thing.”
Trautman continued his dominant performance in the second half, snagging an interception and scoring two more TDs, including a spectacular leaping catch in the back of the end zone.
Votroubek also had a standout game, completing 15-of-21 passes for 242 yards with four touchdowns.
Nampa — traditionally a contender in the 4A SIC — also has a new head coach in Jon Choate. But the Bulldogs (0-1) struggled to move the ball in the first half and had no answer for Kuna’s power rushing attack and deep passing game.
“Everything that could go wrong tonight did, especially in the first half,” Choate said. “We had terrible field position all night, we didn’t do a very good job in coverage, and Kuna was way more physical than we were. I tip my hat to Kuna, and we definitely have a lot to work on.”
The Bulldogs had more success after switching to an up-tempo shotgun attack, but it was too little, too late. Senior quarterback Kade Wilcox finished 19-for-29, throwing for 260 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
