BONNERS FERRY — Cooper Lenz scored three touchdowns, including two on the ground, and the Timberlake Tigers overcame a slow start to steamroll the Bonners Ferry Badgers 66-28 to win the Intermountain League title on Friday, Oct. 20, at Kenny Mendenhall Stadium.

Cole Meidinger passed for 251 yards and two touchdowns for Timberlake, which out-gained Bonners Ferry, 522-225.

The Badgers were down 12-6 starting the second quarter, but then the Tigers went on to score 37 additional points. 

This season, Bonners Ferry has been regaining lost experience, due to graduating every member of the varsity squad, excluding four players. This was the first game of the season that the Badgers scored in every quarter, but it was too little against the powerhouse that is Timberlake this season. 

"Offensively we did a real good job," Timberlake coach Kelly Amos said. "Our line blocked really well; we were able to consistently move the ball. Defensively, we did a great job against the run; we played physical."

Fifth-seed Timberlake (5-4, 1-0 IML) will host a first-round state 3A playoff game next weekend, against twelfth-seeded American Falls (3-6, 0-2 South East Idaho Conference). 

Timberlake has had a good run this season and faced off against non-conference 3A opponents, such as Sugar Salem, South Fremont and McCall-Donnelly in the pre-season, getting a sneak-peek of the state competition. 

Timberlake also defeated 4A Moscow 38-28 in September this year. 

American Falls, Gooding (1-3, 2-7) , Wood River (2-2, 4-5) squeaked into the playoffs as the 12th, 13th and 14th-seeded teams, with records just slightly better than Bonners Ferry. 

Bonners Ferry, which won the two-team league title last year, finished 0-1, 3-6. In order to advance to the playoffs, rather than looking at league standing, Idaho High School Athletics Association has turned to Maxpreps ranking, a high school sports reporting site. Ranking can rise or fall depending on wins and loses and by how much a team wins or loses by. 

By winning by a larger margin, a teams ranking could rise above opponents with the same record. Eventhough the IML is currently just Bonners Ferry and Timberlake, depending on ranks, both teams could have advanced to the playoffs depending on their overall records.

First-year Bonners Ferry head coach Danny Swift said the program’s goals for every season is  to grow each player into a better version of themselves and for the team to culminate the season by being the best version of itself.

He previously told the Herald that a “successful season is being the best version of ourselves on and off the field.” 

Badger football seniors include: Matt Treutelaar, Aiden Beggerly, Trey Bateman, Dakota Heller, Eli Leyden, Kotlon Rude, Noah Varelman, Troy Randall, Andrew Erhardt and Zion Jacobson. All were honored at Senior Night which was against Timberlake. 

Timberlake 12 37 10 7 — 66

Bonners Ferry 6 8 8 6 — 28

First quarter

BF — unknown 14 run (conversion failed)

TL — Caius Tebbe 5 run (conversion failed)

TL — Vaughn Higgins 2 run (conversion failed)

Second quarter

TL — Cooper Lenz 59 pass from Cole Meidinger (Lenz run)

TL — Jacob Yetter 35 pass from Meidinger (conversion failed)

TL — Safety, tackle in end zone

TL — Higgins 19 run (Higgins kick)

TL — Lenz 15 run (Higgins kick)

TL — Lenz 4 run (Higgins kick)

BF — unknown 10 touchdown pass (conversion successful)

Third quarter

TL — FG Higgins 28

BF — unknown 42 run (conversion successful)

TL — Tebbe 6 run (Higgins kick)

Fourth quarter

BF — unknown 6 pass (conversion failed)

TL — Cayden Knight 5 run (Higgins kick)

TIMBERLAKE STATISTICS

RUSHING — Tebbe 8-89, Lenz 9-83, Higgins 8-50, Knight 3-20, Hansen 2-14, Meidinger 1-7, Wendt 1-5, Davis 1-(-3), Yetter 1-(-4).

PASSING — Meidinger, 11-18-0-251.

RECEIVING — Lenz 3-121, Yetter 7-121, McDougall 1-9.