‘We just got too cocky.’ Borah puts last year’s mistakes in rearview with win over Boise
Ryan Lopez saw the football bouncing along the turf and instincts took over.
The Borah senior cornerback scooped up the fumble and ran 85 yards to the house in a 28-13 victory over Boise on Thursday night at Dona Larsen Park. The win moved the Lions to 2-0 atop the 6A Southern Idaho Conference’s River Division and 4-1 overall.
It also was the fourth straight victory for the Lions, who lost 29-28 in overtime to the Brave last year.
“They love playing with a chip on their shoulder,” Borah coach JQ Kenyon said. “Obviously the game last year, we’ve been thinking about it all summer. If you give us something to hold on to, we’re gonna hold on to that and just drive it home.”
Lopez said the Lions felt “disrespected” after last year’s loss to the Brave. But they erased that feeling in a hurry this time around.
Borah senior quarterback Dylan Luekenga escaped for a 74-yard run on the Lions’ first play from scrimmage, and three plays later he found senior receiver Mason Monteleone for a 19-yard TD pass and a 7-0 lead.
After grabbing three interceptions in an upset of Owyhee last week, Lopez added another pick against Boise (3-2, 0-2). This one came on the first play of the Brave’s second drive and set up another TD connection between Luekenga and Monteleone, which went for 65 yards and a 14-0 Borah lead with 6:19 left in the opening frame.
“The second touchdown I had, really, that was my coach,” Monteleone said. “He was watching them jump the bubble all game, so he just told me to act like I was blocking and then go, and it was wide open.”
The Lions entered Thursday’s game with a state-leading 14 takeaways and a plus-10 turnover margin. Lopez kept the turnover train going with his scoop and score midway through the second quarter. Luekenga then threw his third TD pass of the night — a 25-yarder to receiver Ayden Melendez — for a 28-0 Borah lead at the half.
“We play as a team,” Lopez said. “It’s not just one person doing it all. … We just count on each other to do our jobs.”
Luekenga finished with 254 yards through the air, Melendez had nine catches for 76 yards, and Monteleone had a team-best 143 receiving yards on four grabs. Defensive lineman Austin Flaherty registered 3.5 sacks.
Borah enjoyed a 4-0 start a year ago, but then lost six straight games to close out the season. No one wants a repeat of last year.
“I really think last year we just got too cocky and we just let it go,” Monteleone said. “We thought we were too good, so we weren’t really trying. But this year is different. We really want it, and we’re not gonna make the same mistake as last year.”
Boise, which started the season 3-0, has dropped two in a row. Junior quarterback Trevor Schoolfield threw for 174 yards with two touchdowns but was hampered by two interceptions. Senior Grant Spillman added four catches for 31 yards and also rushed for 38 yards on seven touches.
This story was originally published September 27, 2024 at 12:03 AM.
