Boys state soccer: Five Treasure Valley teams march on to semis, including three in 5A
The 5A boys soccer state tournament opened Thursday with four Treasure Valley teams that had combined for 52 wins and just 9 losses. There was no way all four could reach Friday’s semifinals. But three did.
That’s because No. 3 seed Borah High and No. 6 seed Rocky Mountain had to square off in one of the games, and it wound up being a 1-0 thriller, with the Grizzlies advancing and sending the Lions to the consolation bracket.
The other two local teams, No. 2 seed Timberline and No. 5 seed Boise, scratched out one-goal wins to join Rocky in the semifinals. Defending champ Boise (13-2-4) will play No. 1 seed Lake City (18-0-1) at 1 p.m. Friday, with the Timberline (16-1-2) vs. Rocky Mountain (12-4-3) game at 3 p.m. All games are at Eagle High.
In a 4A battle between two local teams, Bishop Kelly defeated Caldwell 2-1 to reach the semifinals, where the Knights will face top seed Jerome at 1:30 p.m. Friday in Caldwell.
Treasure Valley teams have dominated the boys state championships in recent years, having won the 5A title eight straight years and the 4A title three years in a row.
5A Boys Soccer State Tournament
Rocky Mountain 1, Borah 0: On a warm October afternoon, temperatures ran fairly high on the field, too, with multiple fouls and yellow cards in a tight, rough game.
Borah (14-3-2) had multiple scoring opportunities. But Hasan Alaali, a freshman midfielder for the Grizzlies, provided the game’s lone goal, a score in the 62nd minute.
Rocky Mountain coach Bill Taylor said he loses sleep every time his team has to play the Lions, who are strong at midfield and with ball possession. He said his team had to be physical to stand a chance.
Borah posted a 2-1 win over Rocky Mountain in the regular season.
“They really gave us a hard time,” Taylor said. “So when you’re playing a team that is technically moving the ball better than you, you have to be able to physically disrupt that play.”
Taylor noted that the physical play meant emotions ran a bit high, with players arguing with the referees and the opposing team.
“It’s one thing for me to talk to the refs, but I like my players to just kind of just walk away,” he said. “This game was an emotional game because ... a lot of these guys play together and against each other in club. ... But, you know, you manage it, and today it bounced our way.”
About halfway through the second half, after a cross sent the ball ricocheting through the box, senior midfielder Dalton Bateman took advantage of some space to feed Alaali, who hammered the ball past Borah goalkeeper Pacifique Uwumukiza.
Bateman said he “checked (over his) shoulder right before and I saw my teammate, so I just dropped my shoulder and played it off to him and hoped that he would get it in.”
Bateman said that as a senior, he’s tried to change his game approach.
“I do have to humble myself a little and not think I’m the best player,” he said. “I want to be the best player for my team, not the best player on my team.”
Borah coach Jayson Transtrum said the strength of the Grizzlies’ midfield frustrated his team and led to too much individual play.
“It kind of led to getting away from what we’re good at,” he said.
“There are definitely games (where) you walk away just kind of scratching your head. I never felt like (the Grizzlies) were super dangerous. ... But they did what they needed to. They broke us down, they got that ball across with a little scuffle, and they ... wanted it more at that moment.”
At the 5A SIC District Three Tournament semifinals last week, the Grizzlies lost to Timberline in a 2-1 game before beating Centennial to advance to the state tournament. Now they will face Timberline again in another semifinal.
Taylor said he didn’t see one dominant team this year.
“If you don’t have a really good day and the other team does, any of the eight teams could win the state championship,” he said, referring to the quarterfinalists who played Thursday.
Rocky Mountain last won the state tournament in 2018.
Boise 2, Thunder Ridge 1: Thursday’s 11 a.m. game was a rematch of last year’s state final, and the Brave (13-2-4) got the better of Thunder Ridge again.
Liam McLain scored both goals for Boise, including a penalty kick in the 62nd minute that proved to be the game-winner. It followed a handball call in the box. His first goal came in the 35th minute.
The Titans from Idaho Falls had some scoring opportunities in the final minutes to tie it. But they missed wide on a free kick and failed to score during a scramble inside the box.
Boise will face top-seeded Lake City on Friday in the first semifinal, after the unbeaten Timberwolves cruised to a 4-0 win over Lewiston.
Timberline 1, Madison 0: Sophomore Jeremiah Moreno scored off a header in the 65th minute to lift the Wolves into the semis, where they will face Rocky. Timberline was undefeated prior to falling to Boise in the 5A SIC District Three title game.
4A Boys Soccer State Tournament
Bishop Kelly 2, Caldwell 1: The fourth-seeded Knights beat the fifth-seeded Cougars and avenge a shootout loss in the district championship last week on goals from Colton Crawford and Shawn Cabus.
Coleman Boyd added an assist, and BK goalie Justin McGrew had nine saves. Axel Gonzalez scored the lone goal for Caldwell.
The Knights (15-3-2) will play No. 1 seed Jerome, a 3-0 winner over Blackfoot. The Cougars (15-4-1) drop to the consolation bracket to face Blackfoot.
The other 4A semifinal features No. 2 Hillcrest, a 4-0 winner over Preston, against No. 3 Sandpoint, a 4-0 winner over Canyon Ridge.
3A BOYS SOCCER STATE TOURNAMENT
McCall-Donnelly wins on PKs: The Vandals edged Coeur d’Alene Charter 5-4 in a shootout after a 0-0 draw to return to the semifinals for the second straight year. McCall-Donnelly (12-2-0) faces Kimberly (10-9-2) at 1:30 p.m. Friday at Vallivue High in the semifinals.
No. 8 Kimberly upset No. 1 Sun Valley, the three-time defending state champ, 1-0 earlier Thursday. Sugar-Salem and Teton battle in the other semifinal.
This story was originally published October 21, 2021 at 7:05 PM.