Borah High football coach Darren Corpus summed up star receiver Kion Williams in four words:
“Kion just gets open.”
Little else needed to be said Friday night at Dona Larsen Park, where Williams hauled in seven passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns — including the game-winner — to lead Borah to a 31-21 homecoming victory over cross-town rival Timberline.
“Kion is just a phenomenal athlete,” Corpus said. “He gets open and he makes big plays when we need them. He always has.”
The Lions needed every catch to put away the scrappy Wolves, who fought hard despite being all but out of the 5A Southern Idaho Conference playoff hunt. But Williams’ 22-yard TD grab put Borah on top in the fourth quarter, and the Lions held on to improve to 4-1 and bolster their own postseason hopes.
“I just want to do anything I can to help my team win,” said Williams, who added a game-clinching interception with 2:16 remaining. “I don’t care if it’s blocking, making catches or playing defense. We want to get to state, so tonight was a big win. We’re halfway there.”
The night started with a bang. After forcing a punt, Timberline scored on its first play from scrimmage as senior quarterback Grant Hruby hit junior receiver Justin Walker with a 48-yard TD strike.
Borah responded with a bomb of its own as junior quarterback Cole Skinner hit Williams in stride for an 80-yard score on the very next play to tie the game.
After a Borah field goal, Timberline put together an impressive second-quarter drive, holding the ball for nearly 8 minutes and punching it in on Tyus Zimmerman’s 12-yard TD scamper.
Borah responded with an equally impressive drive, marching 80 yards in 3:03 as Skinner executed an efficient hurry-up attack. The Lions capped the drive with a 1-yard TD catch by senior tight end Justin Coburn just 3 seconds before the break, staking Borah to a 17-14 halftime lead.
Timberline reclaimed the lead with the lone TD of the third quarter, a 48-yard run by Kellen Copeland. That lead held until Skinner lofted a high-arcing fade to Williams, who shrugged off an interfering defender and held on to give Borah the lead for good.
The Lions recovered a fumble — the first turnover of the game — at the Timberline 32 with 7:21 remaining. Senior running back Hunter Kenyon capitalized, plowing in on fourth-and-goal from the 1 to make it 31-21 with 3:33 to go.
Williams’ final catch of the night — the interception — sealed the victory for the Lions.
“Our kids believe we have a pretty good football team right now,” Corpus said. “This is probably the best team we’ve had at Borah in 25 years, and we’re excited about it.”
Kenyon finished with 114 yards on 25 carries, while Skinner threw for 247 yards to lead the turnover-free Lions. Copeland led Timberline with 133 rushing yards on 18 carries.
