Boys state soccer: Boise, Timberline will meet in rubber match for 5A championship
Qussai Kadro is probably going to have a pretty good bruise on his right hip.
“It was worth it,” he said.
The junior midfielder earned the war wound when he banged his hip on the right post while scoring the only goal in Boise’s 1-0 victory over Lake City in the 5A state tournament semifinals Friday at Eagle High.
The Brave (14-2-4) will go for a second straight state championship in boys soccer when they face Timberline (17-1-2), a shootout winner over Rocky Mountain, at 2 p.m. Saturday at Eagle’s ICCU Thunder Stadium. Boise has won six state titles since boys soccer became an official IHSAA sport in 2000, while Timberline has won three.
The title tilt will be a rematch of last week’s 5A District Three Tournament championship game, which Boise won 1-0 in overtime on Joe Woodley’s golden goal in the 87th minute.
“Another heartfelt battle,” Timberline junior forward Zayne Davis said. “It’s gonna be back and forth, back and forth.”
5A BOYS SOCCER STATE TOURNAMENT
Boise 1, Lake City 0: The Brave returned only six players from last year’s title team, and one of those players — Sawyer Luthy — just recently returned from a broken leg.
“I think this team was overlooked during the year a little bit,” Boise coach Mike Darrow said. “But really, they just hadn’t played together much. ... In the beginning it was just trying to get used to each other and kind of figure out where they stood in the team.
“The nice thing is lately they’ve been playing for each other and not individually.”
In the 20th minute that teamwork materialized into Kadro’s game-winning goal. Boise’s back line fed the ball to the midfield, where sophomore Daniel Hirai darted up the left sideline and launched a shot toward the far post. Kadro sold out to ensure the ball found the back of the net, colliding with the post in the process.
“It was one of the few chances we had, so I had to take it,” said Kadro, whose team got off seven total shots in the match.
Kadro wasn’t the only one feeling a little sore. Boise keeper Arthur Langlet had the wind knocked out of him on a save shortly after Kadro’s goal, but he dusted himself off and earned the clean sheet.
“He’s been big for us all year and gotten us through some big games,” Darrow said. “He made a couple of really nice saves today and kind of held the back for us.”
Timberline 0, Rocky Mountain 0 (Timberline 5-3 PKs): This defensive stalemate went to a shootout after 80 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute overtimes.
The Wolves outshot the Grizzlies 17-6, including a 2-1 advantage on goal, but the wet and windy weather complicated both teams’ efforts on the artificial turf.
Rocky Mountain (12-5-3) played a man down from the 77th minute on after senior Dalton Bateman received his second yellow card of the game, automatically resulting in a red card.
“We told the boys to try to settle the ball down and find passes and try to make them chase a little bit,” Timberline coach Adrian Kane said. “The conditions were difficult in the rain, a little bit of wind. Playing on turf is not ideal, and it doesn’t suit our game particularly well. The way that we move the ball, it ends up just bouncing around a lot. But we were not content to sit back. We didn’t want to go to PKs.”
Timberline started Ben Anderson in goal, but Parker Gropp replaced him in the second half because Anderson has been dealing with back issues.
Gropp came up big for the Wolves, stopping Rocky Mountain’s second PK attempt.
“It’s a lonely position for a keeper to be in. Literally you’re down there by yourself away from the rest of the team,” Kane said. “But in penalty shootouts, the pressure’s always on the shooter. There’s no expectation for the goalkeeper to save it, but I had faith that he would come up with at least one, and he did.”
In order, Timberline’s Luke Pepin, Jeremiah Moreno, Jake Anderson, Aydin Ege and Davis each made their PK attempt. The rest of the Wolves stood along the sideline watching with linked arms and rushed Davis after his shot hit the back of the net.
“Since the preseason, our motto has been: ‘How are we going to do it? Together,’” Davis said. “We’re a team, and each and every person put that penalty in for each other. None of us put that penalty in for ourselves. We put it in for the team.”
Borah 2, Madison 1: Borah’s Dino Ibruij scored on a header in the 78th minute to break a 1-1 tie in an elimination game against Madison.
The goal was unassisted, as Ibruij scored when the Madison keeper deflected his previous shot.
The Lions will play Thunder Ridge, a 6-1 winner over Lewiston, for the consolation trophy at 10 a.m. Saturday at Eagle.
4A BOYS SOCCER STATE TOURNAMENT
Bishop Kelly 1, Jerome 0 (OT): The Knights will get a shot at their first state title in boys soccer after edging the top-ranked Tigers in overtime. It will be Bishop Kelly’s first championship match appearance since 2010.
Bishop Kelly (16-3-2) plays Sandpoint at 7 p.m. Saturday at Middleton High for the first-place trophy.
“I’m really proud of the boys’ effort,” Bishop Kelly coach Jared Vreeland said. “We’re excited to be playing in the final tomorrow.”
The Knights were gifted an own goal in overtime off a corner kick from senior Jake Dahl. And keeper Justin McGrew made seven saves for the clean sheet.
Sandpoint held off Hillcrest 3-2 in overtime in the other semifinal.
Caldwell 6, Blackfoot 2: Five different players found the back of the net in the Cougars’ elimination victory against the Broncos.
Clay Walton led the way with two goals, while Yahir Esquivel contributed one goal and one assist. Fabian Arguello, Brian Ramirez and Axel Gonzalez had one goal apiece, Jaden Pineda assisted on two goals and Yahir Flores added one assist.
Greysen Porter made five saves in goal for the Cougars (16-4-1), who will face Canyon Ridge at 10 a.m. Saturday at Brothers Fields in Caldwell for the consolation trophy.
3A BOYS SOCCER STATE TOURNAMENT
McCall-Donnelly 2, Kimberly 1: The Vandals are a win away from history.
McCall-Donnelly (13-2-0) plays Sugar-Salem at 1 p.m. Saturday at Middleton High with a chance to claim its first state championship since 2004.
The Diggers earned a spot in the final with a 3-2 victory over Teton.
This story was originally published October 22, 2021 at 9:41 PM.
