Overlooked? Not anymore. Kuna pounds Timberline for first playoff win in Idaho’s top class
The Kuna High football program had yet to make its mark in six previous seasons in Idaho’s top classification.
Then came Saturday.
The Kavemen edged Timberline 45-37 in the first round of the 6A state playoffs at Dona Larsen Park, scoring the program its first playoff win in the state’s top classification.
Not bad for a team picked to finish 10th out of 12 teams in its own league in August.
“We’re showing people that we’re not a stepover school,” first-year Kuna coach Beau Smith said. “We’re not some place where you go, ‘Let’s check this off as a W.’ We’re hard nosed.
“We don’t have the best statistics in the world. Our defense doesn’t put up the best numbers, or our offense the best numbers. But when they need to show up, our offense runs the ball. They own the clock. And our defense makes turnovers when they need to, causing chaos at key moments.”
The Kavemen (5-5) showed that Saturday night, running the ball down Timberline’s throat over and over again. Kuna racked up 264 of its 356 yards on the ground, lining up with no splits between its offensive linemen and daring the Wolves to match their physicality.
Timberline coach Ian Smart said it felt like a lot more yards as Kuna scored touchdowns on four consecutive drives before the Wolves finally forced a 41-yard field goal from Walter Hendricks to end the scoring.
“That’s our thing. We’re known for running the ball,” Kuna sophomore quarterback Lino Senio said. “If they don’t stop it, we’re just going to keep pounding the ball.”
[Related: 6A to 1A playoff scores, brackets]
Kuna lost starting running back Cameron Hickman to an injury last week. But that didn’t slow down the Kavemen, who threw linebacker Dallas Konzek into the backfield and watched him run for 158 yards and two touchdowns while still wreaking havoc on defense.
Konzek last spent significant time at running back four years ago but ran for touchdowns of 34 and 14 yards in the second quarter for a 21-10 lead. The Kavemen then looked to turn the game into a blowout when Mason Pollard blocked a punt and Nick Stace returned it 22 yards for a score and a 28-10 advantage.
Timberline (6-4) hung in the game though behind the duo of quarterback Jack Brant and Hudson Lewis. Brant completed 30-of-55 passes for 414 yards and five touchdowns. Lewis, one of the state’s most dangerous receivers, hauled in 12 catches for 178 yards and four touchdowns.
But the offensive fireworks went to waste as Kuna turned back the clock when it had the ball, packing all 11 players into a 5-yard box, telegraphing its plans and daring Timberline to stop it.
“Nowadays, most teams, they want to get cute,” Smith said. “They want to run tricks. They want to do the run, RPO-read stuff. That’s the attractive thing.
“... But we have a great community that supports what we do. They love the fact that we run the ball and control the clock, and just play hard-nosed, old-school football. It’s a rural community, and they love seeing it.”
KUNA GETS REMATCH WITH ROCKY MOUNTAIN
The victory sends Kuna into the state quarterfinals, where they’ll travel to face undefeated and unanimously No. 1-ranked Rocky Mountain (9-0).
The Kavemen opened the season with a 54-13 loss at Rocky Mountain. But Kuna trailed just 10-7 at halftime before the Grizzlies scored three defensive touchdowns and a safety in the second half.
“It’s a big opportunity,” Konzek said. “We’re looking to make a statement. We think we have what it takes, and we’ll see what happens next Friday or Saturday.”
An official kickoff time or date was not available Saturday night.
TIMBERLINE’S BOUNCEBACK SEASON
Few expected much of Timberline this fall either.
The Wolves went 1-17 the past two seasons and started the year picked 11th out of 12 teams in the 6A SIC preseason coaches’ poll. But the Wolves’ racked up six wins, finished third in the Foothills Division and earned the right to host a first-round playoff game before seeing their Cinderella end Saturday.
Smart said a senior class that started with just seven or eight members added five or six more during the Wolves’ turnaround. He said that momentum should carry over into next season, when the Wolves return eight starters on offense, including Brant and Lewis, and seven on defense.
“That’s the exciting part,” Smart said. “I know it’s tough tonight. But I think when they have a chance to reflect, they can come back and say, ‘Hey, we did something pretty cool.’”
