Unsung hero? Not anymore. Kuna senior runs for 300 yards to power upset of No. 3 Boise
Kuna senior Austin Lattimer spent much of his high school career in the shadows.
He served as the Kavemen’s do-everything role player, the one willing to do the dirty work that received no accolades — no questions asked.
But Lattimer burst into the spotlight Friday, running for 308 yards and three touchdowns to power the Kavemen to a 47-44 win over No. 3 Boise at Dona Larsen Park.
“He’s a kid that literally has done everything this program has ever asked of him, and I think he’s having an incredible senior season because of it,” Kuna coach Jeff Schank said.
“... When you do things the right way consistently, I have to believe that things work out for you. It seems to be happening with that kid. And he deserves it, because he’s such a high-character kid.”
Lattimer set the tone early, running for 97 yards on the game’s opening drive alone. The former fullback broke out of the pile on a 4th-and-1 play, springing free for a 54-yard touchdown run to start a long night for Boise (6-2, 4-2 5A SIC Foothills).
The Kavemen (4-4, 2-4) physically imposed their will all night, rushing for 411 yards to knock off the heavily-favored Brave. Kuna turned back the clock Friday, running I-formation and Wing-T sets with two tight ends and no splits between its offensive linemen. The Kavemen didn’t even send a receiver out wide on many plays, daring Boise to play smashmouth football in the trenches.
“We knew that they were weak in that spot,” Lattimer said. “We were going to go out there and execute, and just pound it down their throats. And that’s exactly what we did.”
Lattimer took the lion’s share of the workload, finishing the night with a whopping 42 carries. He topped the 100-yard mark in the first quarter, then surpassed 200 yards in the second. And when Kuna needed him the most, the senior put the team on his back in the fourth quarter.
Boise pounced on a pair of second-half turnovers and a 15-yard punt, scoring 22 straight points to erase an 18-point deficit. But trailing for the first time since the first quarter, Kuna turned to its bell cow one last time.
The Kavemen called Lattimer’s number nine times on a 14-play, 80-yard drive that burned 6:01 off the fourth-quarter clock. Kuna didn’t call a pass play on the drive. Lattimer capped it with a 2-yard touchdown run with 1:21 left, powering straight through the heart of the Boise defense for the game-winning score.
“If it’s anything under 5 yards, he’s going to get the first down,” Kuna senior Luke Selto said. “He’s a guaranteed 5, 6 yards every time.
“He’s a hard runner. He’s worked hard all year. He is probably the hardest worker in the weight room, and he’s just a dog.”
The upset victory came on an odd night. Neither team had any postseason positioning to play for. Boise was guaranteed a second-place finish in the 5A SIC River Division entering the game, and Kuna still finished sixth out of seven teams despite the win. Both need to win next week to clinch a playoff berth.
But the Kavemen’s victory delivered a confidence boost and sent a warning shot through the 5A SIC.
“We showed that we can go out there and beat anyone,” Lattimer said. “We’re just going to give it our all, no matter who’s ranked, no matter what.”
BOISE LEADERS
Sophomore quarterback Trevor Schoolfield nearly engineered the second-half comeback. He finished 14-for-29 for 261 yards and two TDs, and he ran for two more scores.
But Kuna also intercepted him twice, including Casey Neff’s grab with 38 seconds left to ice the game.
Boise junior Grant Spillman ran for 124 yards and a touchdown during the comeback, and he added four catches for 39 yards.
Jordan McDonald turned two catches into 107 yards and a score, and Cooper Smith finished with three catches for 57 yards and a TD.
UP NEXT
Boise will host Centennial (1-7, 1-4), the last-place finisher in the Foothills Division, next week. A win would send the Brave to the playoffs for the first time since 2002, ending the longest active postseason drought in the 5A classification.
Kuna will try to pull another upset at perennial power Rocky Mountain (5-3, 4-1). The winner advances to the playoffs. The loser will need to hope for the single at-large berth, which is determined by MaxPreps.com rankings.
This story was originally published October 13, 2023 at 11:50 PM.
