Two perennial football powers met for the first time. Bishop Kelly left with a blowout win
For the past 50-plus years, Capital and Bishop Kelly have stood as two of Idaho’s top high school football powers. But even though they are less than 4 miles apart inside the Boise city limits, the two had never played each other.
Until Thursday, when Bishop Kelly routed its neighbor 41-6 at Dona Larsen Park.
Bishop Kelly (1-0) dominated all phases of the game, posting a 41-0 lead after three quarters and invoking the running-clock mercy rule to start the fourth quarter.
“It was tough because we didn’t get a game last week with Zero Week,” Bishop Kelly senior quarterback Hadley Smith said. “But we came in here ready to roll and took care of stuff.”
The Knights’ defense led the onslaught, dominating the line of scrimmage and never letting its 5A counterpart off the mat. They even put their own points on the board when Angelo Quilici snared a tipped ball and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown.
Bishop Kelly held Capital (0-2) to 136 total yards of offense, 64 of which came in the fourth quarter with the running clock in effect. The Eagles avoided a shutout when Brody Call ran for a 2-yard touchdown as time expired against Bishop Kelly’s backups.
“Our offense is on, but our defense is the one that kept us in the game,” Smith said. “We can’t win a ballgame without that. I mean, they shut them out through almost four quarters. That’s pretty impressive.”
Smith carried Bishop Kelly offensively, finishing 9-of-15 for 204 yards and three TDs. He also ran for another score.
Combined with an effective running game (112 yards), the Knights showed why they entered the season as the favorite to win the 4A Southern Idaho Conference again. The perennial power hasn’t finished atop the league in four years. But Thursday’s showing pushed back against any arguments the program has lost a step.
“I think we showed that we’re the team to beat,” Bishop Kelly senior linebacker Jack Dennis said. “We’ll see when it comes to conference season, but we feel confident going forward.”
While the two programs haven’t officially faced each other since Capital opened in 1965 — one year after Bishop Kelly — the two have plenty of familiarity. Dennis is one of a host of Bishop Kelly players living inside the Capital boundaries who grew up in its feeder programs. And the two have faced each other at jamborees and camps over the years.
“I lived in Capital’s district, and I would have gone to Capital had I not gone to BK,” longtime Bishop Kelly coach Tim Brennan said. “Some of our kids obviously live in Capital’s district, and so it was a lot of fun to play Capital.”
The two will also play next season.
CAPITAL DROPS TO 0-2
The Eagles lost back-to-back games to open the season for the first time since 2011. And they’ve struggled offensively in both.
Borah shut out Capital 21-0 last week, and only a last-second touchdown Thursday kept the Eagles from posting back-to-back goose eggs.
“I think it’s a whole plethora of things,” first-year Capital coach Jay Bohner said. “I think I probably need to do a better job of calling plays and putting us in a better position to be successful. And so, this really falls on me, this start to the season.
“We’re going to work hard to get it fixed and try to get it moving forward.”
Capital has made the playoffs 15 years in a row, including 2011, when it rebounded to win eight straight and make the state semifinals.
UP NEXT
Capital hits the road to Lewiston next Friday in a rematch of last year’s first-round playoff victory.
Bishop Kelly continues its tour of 5A programs by hosting Centennial the same night.
THURSDAY’S STANDOUTS
- Zach Taylor, Timberline (boys soccer): Scored twice as the Wolves edged Centennial 3-2.
- Angel Escultia, Ridgevue (boys soccer): Led the Warhawks with two goals and an assist to down Emmett 8-1.
- Shae Olsen, Caldwell (girls soccer): Netted four goals to help the Cougars breeze by Columbia 6-1.
- Hayley Ryrah, Borah (volleyball): Provided 16 assists to defeat Nampa 25-7, 25-17, 25-9.
- Ally Arnzen, Meridian (volleyball): Had nine kills to lead the Warriors past Boise 25-15, 25-19, 23-25, 25-17.
This story was originally published August 25, 2022 at 11:03 PM.
