STATE PREP FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS: Bonners notches first playoff win since 2003; Clark Fork, St. Maries fall
EMILY BONSANT/Bonners Ferry Herald Cleo Henslee (21) of Bonners Ferry lunges for a touchdown in Saturday's state 3A playoff game vs. Wood River in Bonners Ferry.
The Wampus Cats' Nathan Shelton (34) tackles Gabe Mahannah (77) of Castleford for a loss in Saturday's 1A Division II eight-man state football playoff game. The Wolves defeated Clark Fork 56-0.
BONNERS FERRY —- Cleo Henslee rushed for three touchdowns as the Bonners Ferry Badgers, in the postseason for the first time since 2015, defeated the Wood River Wolverines 21-7 in the first round of the state 3A football playoffs Saturday afternoon at Kenny Mendenhall Stadium.
Bonners Ferry (9-0), which won the Intermountain League championship for the first time since 2005, won its first state playoff game since 2003.
The Badgers scored first, late in the first quarter, on a run around left end by Henslee.
Charles Henslee had an interception for Bonners in the second quarter, and Cleo Henslee scored on a short TD run just before the half. Quarterback Blake Rice ran in the two-point conversion for a 14-0 halftime lead.
Wood River hit a deep pass and nearly scored early in the third quarter, but Rice held up the receiver near the goal line and Charles Henslee stripped the ball away and raced to the 43 yard-line.
A touchdown by Caleb Hotherm of Wood River early in the fourth quarter cut the Badgers’ lead to 14-7.
Wood River threatened to tie the game, but Badger Tully Reinhardt’s interception with 2:20 remaining set up Cleo Henslee’s third TD of the day to seal the win for Bonners, which will travel to Weiser this week in the quarterfinals.
Castleford 56
Clark Fork 0
CLARK FORK — Clark Fork saw its season come to a disappointing end as the Wampus Cats lost 56-0 to Castleford in the opening round of the 1A Division II eight-man state football playoffs on Saturday afternoon.
“They did way better at controlling the line of scrimmage,” said Wampus Cats coach Brian Arthun, whose team finished 5-4 in its first playoff appearance since 2007.
Arthun said the more-experienced Wolves, who have been state contenders for about a decade, were able to stop the Cats’ run game, a “staple” of the team’s offense.
The game was a defensive slugfest in the first quarter, each team only able to advance 20 to 30 yards per drive during the first part of the quarter. That is until Castleford running back Gabe Mahannah ran it in, giving the Wolves a 6-0 lead to end the quarter.
The Wolves added another two touchdowns in the second quarter, thanks to a pair of runs by running back Gus Wiggins for a 20-0 lead.
With a minute left in the half, the Wampus Cats marched up the field after an interception by Chase Sanroman, but time ran out before they could score.
The Wampus Cats started the second half the way they ended the first — with a big defensive play as defensive end Jackson Clemens recovered a fumble by Ethan Roland. However, Roland recovered a fumble on the following play, returning it 40 yards, and Castleford scored on the next play for a 28-0 lead five minutes into the second half.
Mahannah ran for another touchdown for the Wolves, and Roland caught a 20-yard TD pass to make it 40-0.
Luis Cortez ran for a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter for Castleford, which will play at Council (7-2) this week in the quarterfinals.
Arthun said losing the playoff game was tough and he is going to miss the five seniors on the team. He added he hopes the difficult loss will “serve as motivation for the juniors next year.”
Aberdeen 52
St. Maries 8
ABERDEEN — The Lumberjacks (3-6), the No. 10 qualifier, fell to the No. 7 Tigers (6-3) in the first round of the state 2A playoffs.
