Bishop Kelly made a big gamble. It paid off with a 5A football state championship
Gambles always come with a risk. But the timid don’t come home with trophies.
Bishop Kelly rolled the dice and recovered an onside kick to start the second half of Monday’s 5A football state championship, and it was all BK from there, as it rolled to a 31-14 victory over Hillcrest for its second state title in three years.
The spark ignited a firestorm as the Knights (13-0) forced four second-half turnovers and held Hillcrest (11-2) to just 73 yards after the break to capture the ninth state championship in program history.
Bishop Kelly coach Chris Culig said his coaching staff spotted one side of Hillcrest’s kick return retreating earlier on film. And with Monday’s game played on the narrower hash marks of Boise State’s Albertsons Stadium, the Knights from Boise spent much of the past week working on onside kicks.
The debate to onside continued through Bishop Kelly’s coaching headsets all the way up to kickoff. But Nick Ciovacco snuck up to the tee, delivered a picture-perfect kick off the blue turf, and Jared Thiel pounced on the loose ball at Hillcrest’s 47-yard line.
“We talked about this all week,” BK senior quarterback Ben Avella said. “We knew we were going to exploit their kick return. We knew we were going to get that. And the fact that we pulled it off, it was just so amazing.”
The onside kick stole a possession from Hillcrest and its quarterback Tyson Sweetwood, the reigning 5A All-Idaho Player of the Year. Jaxson Brady made the gamble pay dividends with a 3-yard touchdown run nine plays later, and Bishop Kelly led by two possessions the rest of the evening.
THIEL, BISHOP KELLY DEFENSE RISE TO CHALLENGE
The onside recovery marked just one of a myriad of game-changing plays Thiel made for the undefeated Knights. The sophomore blocked a field goal just before halftime that would have given Hillcrest the lead, then he forced a pair of fourth-quarter turnovers to snuff out any chance of a comeback.
He grabbed his 5A-leading 11th interception at his own 14-yard line with 11:44 left. Then he lined up Hillcrest running back Dax Sargent on a hook-and-lateral, punched the ball loose and recovered the fumble in front of Hillcrest’s sideline with 5:05 remaining.
“He’s got two more years, and the whole state should be worried,” Avella said. “Because this guy is a dog, and he’s not gonna stop.”
Hillcrest racked up 256 of its 329 yards in the first half. But the Idaho Falls school found little success after halftime, ending each second-half possession with a turnover.
Sweetwood still did plenty of damage with 234 total yards and a 21-yard touchdown throw to Trezden Thompson. But Bishop Kelly pressured him all night long, relying on its secondary to play man coverage with no safety help. That unit proved itself up to the challenge, picking off two passes, holding Sweetwood to a 12-for-22 evening, and blanketing receivers long enough to create three sacks.
Safety Bryce Root grabbed an interception and recovered a fumble. And linebacker Noah Horn made plays all over the field and recorded two sacks.
“We had a few mishaps and mistakes early on,” Culig said. “But we were gonna get after him. We wanted to get after him quick, and try to make him throw the ball to beat us.”
BK QUARTERBACK CAPS HISTORIC CAREER
All those turnovers provided more than enough ammunition for Avella. The three-year starter finished 18-for-26 through the air for 209 yards and a touchdown. And he broke loose for a highlight-reel, 41-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to run for a team-high 53 yards.
The Carroll College commit guided Bishop Kelly to a 13-0 season and a state title two years ago, beating Hillcrest on the same field. He added another perfect season and championship Monday to finish his career 35-2 as a starter.
“He’s fantastic,” Thiel said. “He’s great at everything, a fantastic leader. He keeps everyone accountable. Not just the offense, but the defense, everyone on the team.
“He’s a great leader, a great guy, and he’s going to go places.”
The Knights don’t have much experience with defeats under Avella. But he said a triple-overtime upset loss to Minico in last year’s quarterfinals lit a fire under Bishop Kelly.
The Knights vowed to never lose again. They kept that vow, rolling to their fourth straight league title and the eighth undefeated season in program history.
“We never missed a workout. The whole team was committed,” Avella said. “That’s what it is. It’s just the commitment of this team through 365 days since we lost to Minico. That’s just the beauty of it, and why we came out on top.”
This story was originally published November 24, 2025 at 11:27 PM.
