Revenge rematch is set. Homedale football cruises back into 3A championship game.
The Homedale High football team has waited a full year for revenge. And the Trojans earned a shot at it next week in the 3A state championship game.
Homedale (11-0) routed previously undefeated Timberlake 51-6 in the 3A state semifinals Saturday afternoon, setting up a rematch with Sugar-Salem (9-1) for the title at 3 p.m. next Saturday at Pocatello’s Holt Arena.
Sugar-Salem beat Homedale 30-22 for last year’s championship, stuffing the Trojans on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line with 8 seconds remaining.
“It still hurts us,” Homedale senior receiver Nelson Lomeli said. “We still have a little bit of anger inside us. And we’ve been working hard all offseason and all season, so I think we have a good chance.”
Homedale wasted little time dispatching the White Tigers from Spirit Lake. The Trojans forced a turnover on downs four plays into the game. And two plays later, senior quarterback Daniel Uranga found Lomeli for a 24-yard touchdown pass.
Uranga then intercepted a Timberlake pass on the fourth play of the ensuing possession, and Homedale capitalized with a Jake Collett 4-yard TD run to kick-start the blowout.
The Trojans racked up 525 yards of offense and their starters scored a touchdown on seven of eight possessions. The only one they didn’t score on came to close out the first half.
Uranga led the way, taking advantage of a Timberlake (9-1) defense that stacked the box to stop the run. The senior left-hander completed 12-of-15 passes for 349 yards and four TDs. Lomeli caught six of those passes for 194 yards and four scores, slipping behind the Timberlake secondary over and over again.
Uranga also ran for a touchdown and made two interceptions on defense.
“Daniel is an awesome kid, and he’s overlooked by so many people because you look at him and he’s not the most physical specimen,” Homedale coach Matt Holtry said. “But he is so smart. His football IQ is so high. We can put something in and the next play, he’ll execute it to a T.”
Homedale also dominated on defense, forcing four turnovers and holding Timberlake to 198 yards and a garbage-time touchdown against its junior varsity. The White Tigers entered Saturday averaging 417 yards and 46.4 points per game.
“Our kids were dialed in,” Holtry said. “There wasn’t anything that they did that our kids were not ready for.”
The victory sets up a rematch that the Trojans, and fans, have craved all year. Homedale and Sugar-Salem finished the regular season tied for first in the state media poll, and both return loads of talent from last year’s title game tilt.
Everyone remembers the game-deciding goal-line stop. But Uranga said he’s pored over the film from the game every week for the past 12 months, searching for all the missed opportunities to ensure Homedale doesn’t miss them again.
“You can’t really forget something like that,” Uranga said. “And that’s why this year we want it extra bad.”
Homedale 51, Timberlake 6
Timberlake | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | — | 6 |
Homedale | 14 | 14 | 20 | 3 | — | 51 |
First quarter
HOM — Nelson Lomeli 24 pass from Daniel Uranga (Lomeli kick), 9:55
HOM — Jake Collett 4 run (Lomeli kick), 5:59
Second quarter
HOM — Uranga 2 run (kick failed), 8:30
HOM — Lomeli 40 pass from Uranga (Uranga to Spencer Fisher pass), 4:54
Third quarter
HOM — Collett 6 run (kick failed), 10:21
HOM — Lomeli 28 pass from Uranga (Lomeli kick), 10:03
HOM — Lomeli 86 pass from Uranga (Lomeli kick), 5:57
Fourth quarter
HOM — Uriel Neri 22 field goal, 7:35
TIM — Joel Follini 20 run (kick failed), 4:54
Individual leaders
RUSHING — Timberlake: Louis Powell 5-11, Joey Follini 10-38, Jacob James 1-0, Jeremy McLemore 9-19. Homedale: Jake Collett 4-21, Daniel Uranga 4-13, Trent Shanley 1-4, Hayden Kincheloe 18-100, Rylan Binford 4-10, Jaxon Dines 2-(-2), Trenton Fisher 6-44, Team 1-(-14).
PASSING — Timberlake: Follini 13-26-3 130. Homedale: Uranga 12-15-0 349.
RECEIVING — Timberlake: Powell 1-(-5), Jack McDonald 7-105, James 1-4, McLemore 1-2, Joshua Yanez 3-14. Homedale: Caleb Smith 1-37, Nelson Lomeli 6-194, Collett 3-48, Kincheloe 1-13, Binford 1-57.
This story was originally published November 16, 2019 at 4:40 PM.
