POCATELLO – Since losing to Kimberly on homecoming night in September, Sugar-Salem hasn’t held out much hope for a rematch. They wanted to avenge the loss, which was their only in-state loss all season.

The Diggers (7-2) get their chance Thursday night at Idaho State University’s ICCU Dome. And not only did they get revenge, they did it by dominating both sides of the ball en route to a 27-0 semifinal victory.

After the game, head coach Tyler Richins said it was a “great feeling” for the entire program to win like that.

“We know what we can do,” he said. “When we got beat by (Kimberly), on the drive home, we knew in our own hearts and minds that that wasn’t who we were; We didn’t play very well. “To try that one more time and kind of set the record straight… that’s what we were excited about.”

Things started to happen quickly against the Bulldogs (7-3), as they received the first kickoff and were forced to punt after possessing the ball for just 21 seconds; They threw three incomplete passes in a row.

Sugar-Salem gained possession 52 yards in seven plays, capped by a 35-yard field goal by Dawson McInelly.

Kimberly responded with a strike of her own, moving the ball 54 yards. But the driver stalled and eventually ended up with a failed fourth down attempt.

This would be one of the few times the Bulldogs put together sustained drives.

After punts were exchanged, Diggers and McInelly came back and converted good field position into a 31-yard sprint for the senior run.

McInelly finished the game with 135 yards on 19 carries, three of which ended in the end zone.

Richins had praise for the big man who pulled double duty as a linebacker.

The coach called McInelly a workhorse in the weight room, which makes him just as much of a workhorse as he is on the field.

“Dawson is a great athlete; he’s a great kid; a student of the game; “He works tirelessly at his craft to be the best linebacker and the best running back he can be,” Richins said.

Richins added that McInelly has played a key role in the team’s success since starting at linebacker as a sophomore. The coach added that he has since developed into a stud runner.

Richins concluded that the leadership qualities McInelly brings, combined with his ability to carry the huge workload, are “huge for us”.

McInelly and the Digger offense — which included sophomore QB Frank Fillmore, whose 52-yard field goal gave Sugar-Salem its third of four field goals — marched up and down the field.

Meanwhile, the defense forced the Kimberly offense to do the same and then prevented it from doing so.

Even though she was given some key opportunities on the way to a pair of clearances, Kimberly was denied by the Digger defense, resulting in a double turnover of her own.

Trailing 14-0 with 6:09 left in the second quarter, the Bulldogs fumbled and recovered the ball at the Sugar-Salem 16. However, they returned the favor and gave the ball back to the Diggers in the next game.

In the third quarter, Kimberly had another short field goal after picking off Digger QB Jackson Gardner; He had 30 yards left to score the much-needed goal.

But the Sugar-Salem defense stepped up big again, forcing a turnover on downs.

All night long, the Digger defensive secondary covered the Kimberly receivers like a wet blanket. Even when passes were completed, receivers were immediately tackled to prevent explosive plays.

“(The secondary) played very strong tonight,” Richins said. “They gave up on receptions, but we are good about it, receptions will be held. We want tackles after the catch – we don’t want yards after the catch.

On the front end, Sugar-Salem’s pass rush was subjected to numerous pressures non-stop and received a pair of sacks from secondary defensive end junior Kaden Nate.

“He played great,” Richins said of Nate. “He comes in and makes such a big impact, that’s what’s important to us. “Our No. 2s are as good as our No. 1s at many positions.”

Nate echoed Richins’ sentiments about longing for a Kimberly rematch, saying he and his teammates want another shot at Kimberly. Nate said winning like he did in the rematch made the semifinal win even more meaningful.

“It’s a great feeling. “From the moment they beat us we were hoping to play them, it feels great to get that win back,” he said.

Nate added the following about his individual performance:

“When I came in, I tried to do the best I could.”

Still, with great defense and fast offense, Sugar-Salem was in a tight game late in the third quarter and led by just 20 points.

With 1:11 left in the third quarter, the Diggers received a Kimberly punt and took control at their own 25.

Over the next seven minutes and 36 seconds, Sugar-Salem ran the ball 14 straight times. The dominating effort ended with a three-yard scoring run by McInelly.

Suddenly, four turnovers left the Bulldogs with little time left with 5:25 left in the game. And the Digger defense slammed that window shut when they killed Kimberly QB MaCraye Bruning.

Richins and his team will now await the outcome of Friday night’s Weiser-Homedale semifinal match. The winner will earn the right to face the Diggers on the 4A banner.

Butte County running back Razor Duke defeats Hagerman in championship game

In the 2A Pirates war, Butte County, led by Keaton Archibald, emerged ready to plunder.

The young quarterback scored the first points of the game by coming 45 yards from the goal.

Two possessions later, Butte County faced a third-and-short, which was called on a QB sneak. Archibald grabbed the yards he needed, then Hargerman broke through the arms of the defensive line and headed 64 yards to the end zone for a 16-0 lead.

However, early in the second quarter Archibald suffered an apparent leg injury. Although he would eventually return to the game, he was visibly limping and appeared unable to handle the ball.

He finished the first half with 118 yards and two touchdowns. After the break, he recovered with a seven-yard loss, then took another sack and lost eight more, finishing with 103 yards on nine carries.

Throwing the ball, Archibald completed six of nine attempts for 66 yards and one score.

He spent most of the second half handing the ball off to workhorse running backs Rawson Twitchell and big man Razor Duke.

Duke, who had attempted a pass before Archibald was injured, finished the play under cross and hit a pair of knees to finish it off.

In addition to his 43 passing yards, Duke tallied 89 rushing yards on 16 carries, including three touchdowns, and caught two passes from Archibald for 36 yards.

The player with the best name on the field added a pair of quarterback sacks as he completed his do-it-all game; One of them was a sack where Hagerman snatched the ball from the hands of Wyatt Mavencamp.

Hagerman made a late charge to earn some pride points.

In the end, Butte County’s early spurt was enough for a 50-22 victory and a spot in the 2A championship game.

They await the winner of the Kendrick-Logos matchup on Friday night.