Second chance results in another second-place trophy for Homedale football
Revenge will have to wait another year for the Homedale High football team.
Sugar-Salem steamrolled the Trojans 48-14 in the 3A state championship Saturday at Pocatello’s Holt Arena, the second straight year the Diggers have topped Homedale for a state title.
The two teams finished the regular season tied for No. 1 in the final state media poll. But Sugar-Salem (10-1) quickly turned the highly anticipated rematch into a rout, scoring 41 unanswered points to run away.
Homedale (11-1) opened the game with its defense forcing a three-and-out, then mounted an 11-play, 59-yard touchdown drive. But it was all Sugar-Salem from there as the Diggers’ powerful Wing-T ran for 304 yards at 8.4 yards per carry.
“Our guys are big and physical up front,” Sugar-Salem coach Tyler Richins said. “They don’t like to lose.”
Sugar-Salem also forced three interceptions, including a pair it returned for touchdowns to put all the momentum on the Diggers’ sideline.
Sugar-Salem never had won a state football title until last year. But Saturday’s championship adds to the Diggers’ recent state championship haul. Since the start of the last school year, Sugar-Salem has won titles in football (two), boys cross country (two), girls cross country (two), volleyball, girls basketball, boys basketball, wrestling and boys track.
Richins credits the success to the amount of multi-sport athletes in Sugar City.
“It’s all about those athletes,” Richins said. “Because those kids are going to go and now they’re going to wrestle, and now they’re going to play basketball. And then they’re gonna play baseball and run track. That’s the culture of the community and the school right now, that they do everything.”
Homedale coach Matt Holtry said his team hung with Sugar-Salem early. But the Diggers’ superior size and depth eventually wore down the Trojans.
“You’ve got to tip your hat to them,” Holtry said. “They’ve got some big, physical kids. You kind of saw what it’s like when you don’t have the depth. We’ve got great kids, but when they’re platooning and they’ve got kids playing one way, and we’ve got kids having to sacrifice and play both ways, it catches up to you quick.”
Homedale’s bid for its first 3A state title and a perfect season came up one win short for the second year in a row. But even without a state championship, Holtry said the Trojans have shown they are a threat year in and year out at the 3A level.
“I wish the seniors could have finished on the highest note,” Holtry said. “But when you think about it, 22-2 in the last two years, back-to-back conference champs, back-to-back appearances in the state championship game — they’ve got a lot to be proud of. And they’ve done a lot for our program, a lot for our community.”
5A: RIGBY RALLIES FOR 1ST TITLE
Rigby trailed by 15 points with 3:19 left in the fourth quarter. But the Trojans (10-1) mounted a comeback for the ages to upset Coeur d’Alene 57-56 in double overtime Saturday at the Kibbie Dome to win the first football state title in school history.
Rigby quarterback Keegan Thompson found Christian Fredericksen for a pair of touchdowns in the final 3 minutes to tie the game, then again in the first overtime. But trailing by seven in the second overtime, the Trojans turned to running back Braden Youngstrom, who plowed in from 2 yards out and then ran in the make-or-break two-point conversion for a one-point victory.
Thompson completed 20-of-32 passes for 289 yards and six TDs, adding 122 yards on the ground.
1A DI: PRAIRIE FINISHES PERFECT
Prairie (11-0) won its third title in the past six years by beating Lost Rivers 26-6 on Friday at the Kibbie Dome.
Cole Martin ran for 127 yards and three TDs for Prairie. And the Pirates of Cottonwood limited Lost Rivers to 146 rushing yards, 206 below its season average, to hold their third opponent to a touchdown or less.
1A DII: LIGHTHOUSE SURVIVES IN OT
Lighthouse Christian (11-0) capped its perfect season with a 34-28 overtime victory over two-time defending champ Carey on Saturday at Holt Arena.
The Lions’ defense stuffed Carey (10-2) on the first possession of overtime, forcing a fumble on fourth-and-goal. Lighthouse Christian quarterback Collin Holloway then wasted little time putting the Panthers away, finding Clay Silva for a 6-yard TD pass on the second play of the ensuing possession.
Silva caught 11 passes for 183 yards and three TDs, and he also returned a kickoff for a score.
SUGAR-SALEM 48, HOMEDALE 14
Homedale | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | — | 14 |
Sugar-Salem | 14 | 13 | 7 | 14 | — | 48 |
First quarter
HOM — Daniel Uranga 1 run (Nelson Lomeli kick), 5:19
SUG — Sam Parkinson 38 run (Crew Clark kick), 3:21
SUG — Browning Bennion 49 interception return (Clark kick), 2:37
Second quarter
SUG — Parkinson 13 run (kick failed), 11:00
SUG — Hadley Miller 10 run (Clark kick), 2:38
Third quarter
SUG — Bennion 18 run (Clark kick), 0:39
Fourth quarter
SUG — Parkinson 33 interception return (Clark kick), 10:01
HOM — Jake Collett 4 run (Lomeli kick), 4:28
SUG — Keayen Nead 32 pass from Tanner Harris (Clark kick), 1:36
Individual leaders
RUSHING — Homedale: Caleb Smith 1-3, Jacob Collett 1-4, Daniel Uranga 12-11, Spencer Fisher 1-(-12), Hayden Kincheloe 19-73, Dawson Fox 2-5, Rylan Binforrd 4-34. Sugar-Salem: Hadley Miller 8-116, Tanner Harris 9-16, Sam Parkinson 12-83, Browning Bennion 5-66, Mckay Schulthies 2-23.
PASSING — Homedale: Uranga 15-29-2 200; Fisher 0-1-1 0. Sugar-Salem: Harris 5-9-0 65.
RECEIVING — Homedale: Nelson Lomeli 4-58, Collett 8-115, Eli Heck 1-10, Dominic Quijano 1-13, Kincheloe 1-4. Sugar-Salem: Crew Clark 1-(-4), Keayen Nead 1-32, Miller 2-30, Schulthies 1-7.
This story was originally published November 23, 2019 at 6:02 PM.
