‘We’re proving everybody wrong.’ Kuna football rolls into its first 4A state title game
The Kuna High football team continued its march toward history Friday.
The Kavemen routed Middleton 70-34 in the 4A state semifinals, racking up 766 yards of offense to clinch their first spot in a 4A state championship in program history. It’s also Kuna’s first trip to the state finals since 1998, when it competed as a 3A school.
The top-ranked Kavemen (12-0) will face second-ranked Blackfoot (11-1) at 6 p.m. Saturday at Pocatello’s Holt Arena next weekend.
“I’m about to cry,” Kuna senior running back Jonathan Edwards said after Friday’s victory. “The emotions are so high right now. I’m insanely happy. I know the team’s insanely happy. It’s history in the making.”
Kuna entered the season with three goals: Win a league title, win a state title and finish the year undefeated, ambitions that seemed impossible to anyone outside of Kuna to start the season.
Kuna missed the playoffs each of the last two years. It’d never won a 4A SIC title. And it’d only won a single playoff game since 1998.
The doubt was evident in the preseason state media poll, where the Kavemen didn’t earn a single vote. But after a loud and fast start, Kuna started picking up believers. It took over the No. 1 ranking after two weeks, and it remains one win away from its first perfect season in program history and its first title since 1991.
“You’re shoving it in their face, basically,” Edwards said. “It’s amazing. It’s amazing just to prove them all wrong. We’re proving everybody wrong.”
Kuna jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back, putting on an offensive showcase. The Kavemen ran 101 plays, averaged 7.6 yards per play and racked up 40 first downs.
Junior quarterback Sean Austin led the show, buying time in the pocket to complete 29-of-41 passes for 414 yards and three TDs. He also ran for 71 yards and a score.
But the Kavemen also had their way with No. 5-ranked Middleton (8-4) on the ground, running for 352 yards. Edwards topped the assault with 24 carries for 140 yards and four TDs, and Ty Cobb added 146 yards and a TD.
“I’ve never seen that before,” Kuna coach Sherm Blaser said of his offense. “Being the offensive coordinator, I’m a little prideful about that side of the ball. And to be able to score 70 points and have 700-plus yards of offense, it makes me feel really good that we’re going to be able to do some things (next week). That we have answers to what Blackfoot is going to do to us next week.”
Middleton twice cut the lead to eight points at 28-20 in the second quarter and 35-27 in the third on a pair of Cash Cowdery touchdown catches. Cowdery hauled in five passes for 186 yards and four TDs.
But the Vikings could never find a way to stop Kuna, which scored touchdowns on 10 of its 12 drives, not including a kneel down to end the game.
Friday’s victory ends a 21-year drought between state appearances for Kuna. But the Kavemen aren’t satisfied with becoming the first team to make it to the finals in a generation, nor the first team to win a title in 28 years.
They want their place in history as an undefeated team. And they’ll have to go through Blackfoot, winner of 10 straight, to get it.
“We’re going to have to give everything we’ve got,” Kuna senior receiver Mason Leatham said. “We’ve got to have a good week of practice this week, and we’ve got to go up there and prove all the haters wrong.”
Kuna 70, Middleton 34
Middleton | 7 | 13 | 7 | 7 | — | 34 |
Kuna | 21 | 14 | 7 | 28 | — | 70 |
First quarter
KUN — Jonathan Edwards 1 run (kick failed), 8:35
KUN — Mason Leatham 6 pass from Sean Austin (Edwards run), 4:44
KUN — Edwards 1 run (Kaden Minnick kick), 1:23
MID — Cash Cowdery 42 pass from Tyler Medaris (Riley Cummings kick), 0:48
Second quarter
KUN — Benten Hall 0 fumble recovery (Minnick kick), 8:09
MID — Jerry Kiser 21 pass from Dallas Hagler (Cummings kick), 7:06
MID — Cowdery 73 pass from Hagler (run failed), 2:03
Third quarter
MID — Cowdery 40 pass from Hagler (Cummings kick), 5:26
KUN — Austin 1 run (Minnick kick), 3:03
Fourth quarter
KUN — Leatham 54 pass from Austin (Minnick kick), 8:55
KUN — Ty Cobb 60 run (Minnick kick), 6:59
MID — Cowdery 17 pass from Hagler (Cummings kick), 6:20
KUN — Koltin Teater 25 pass from Austin (Minnick kick), 4:14
KUN — Edwards 2 run (Minnick kick), 1:22
Individual leaders
RUSHING — Middleton: Dallas Hagler 3-(-4), Tyler Medaris 1-0, Trenton Johansen 14-72. Kuna: Sean Austin 16-71, Ty Cobb 19-146, Jonathan Edwards 24-140, Team 1(-5).
PASSING — Middleton: Hagler 15-30-2 303, Medaris 1-1-0 42. Kuna: Austin 29-41-0 414.
RECEIVING — Middleton: Cash Cowdery 5-186, Jace Rodgers 3-59, Tyler Medaris 4-42, Mason Nichols 1-(-5), Jerry Kiser 1-21, Trenton Johansen 2-42. Kuna: Koltin Teater 9-131, Mason Leatham 5-92, Tyler Brown 4-30, Zeke Wilson 10-160, Cobb 1-1.
This story was originally published November 15, 2019 at 10:14 PM.
