PREP FOOTBALL: Timberlake has its moments in loss to Sugar-Salem

REXBURG — Timberlake senior Cooper Lenz ranged to his right, cut in front of the wideout for a leaping interception and returned it 61 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter to give the Tigers hope.

But, for the second time in five weeks, defending state champion Sugar-Salem was too much for Timberlake again.

This time, the Diggers won 48-21 in a state 3A quarterfinal matchup Saturday afternoon at Madison High.

“There were some opportunities that we had, if we got a couple of stops,” Timberlake coach Kelly Amos said. “There’s a reason they’re the No. 1 team in the state, they make plays. Our kids played hard; proud of the effort they gave.”

Top-seeded Sugar-Salem (9-0), which has won four state titles in five years, faces No. 5 Weiser (10-1) this week in the semifinals.

No. 8 Timberlake, in the state playoffs for the 20th time in 21 seasons, finishes 6-5.

Lenz’s pick-6, where he maneuvered around the first receiver to get to the wider one, cut Sugar’s lead to 13-7. 

“That was a great play by him; we put him in the mix to mess up that trips set,” Amos said. “He had a fantastic game.”

Lenz caught seven passes for 99 yards and ran for 41 yards and a score.

Timberlake had the ball deep in Diggers territory twice in the first half but couldn’t score, and Sugar opened up a 34-7 lead at the half.

Sugar-Salem outgained Timberlake 467-277 on Saturday. In the first meeting, it was 569-248.

The Diggers did it a different way on Saturday, using the pass and outside runs to speed past the Tigers after Amos said Timberlake junior inside linebacker Johnathan Hansen and the Tigers’ defensive line slowed down Sugar’s inside running game.

“The first time we played, they trucked us,” Amos said. “The first game was a lot of inside trap and power and off tackle. I think we did a good job shutting that down, and forced them to go outside. We had to sell out; we devoted some additional resources to their inside trap and their power, and I didn’t have enough guys (to cover the perimeter).

“If I’d had 13 players … “ Amos added with a laugh.

In the fourth quarter, Caius Tebbe scored on a 1-yard run for Timberlake. Sugar fumbled away the ensuing kickoff, and Lenz scored from a yard out to cut the deficit to 41-21. The Tigers then tried a squib kickoff, and the line drive bounced off a Sugar-Salem player and Timberlake recovered.

But the Tigers then turned the ball over on downs at the Diggers 43.

“Our kids kept fighting, even in the second half,” Amos said. “We made them (the Diggers) play football the entire game.”

Timberlake    7    0    0    14    —    21

Sugar-Salem    20    14    7    7    —    48

First quarter

SS — Carson Harris 24 run (kick blocked)

SS — Josiah Bosco 59 pass from James Chase (Porter Teichert kick)

TL — Cooper Lenz 61 interception return (Vaughn Higgins kick)

SS — Harris 1 run (Teichert kick)

Second quarter

SS — Ben Aldrich 8 pass from Chase (Teichert kick)

SS — Tate Cutler 9 run (Teichert kick)

Third quarter

SS — Dawson McInelly 12 pass from Chase (Teichert kick)

Fourth quarter

TL — Caius Tebbe 1 run (Higgins kick)

TL — Lenz 1 run (Higgins kick)

SS — Cutler 1 run (Teichert kick)

TIMBERLAKE INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Lenz 18-41, Tebbe 8-29, Higgins 7-24, Meidinger 5-9, Hansen 1-1.

PASSING — Meidinger 16-26-2-173, Yetter 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING — Lenz 7-99, Yetter 6-59, Simmons 1-7, Hansen 1-6, Tebbe 1-2.

Hagerman 54

Mullan/St. Regis 12

MULLAN — The Pirates ended the Tigers’ season with a quarterfinal victory in the 1A Division II playoffs at John Drager Field.

Hagerman (9-2) advances to the semifinals for the first time since 2013, and will face defending champion Kendrick (8-0). Kendrick defeated Dietrich 90-0 on Friday.

Mullan/St. Regis, in its fifth straight playoff appearance. finished 8-2.

    JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY Cooper Lenz (1) of Timberlake heads downfield as he returns an interception for a 61-yard touchdown in the first quarter Saturday against Sugar-Salem in a state 3A quarterfinal Saturday at Madison High in Rexburg.