Two years ago, the Bonners Ferry High School team scored 115 points but gave up 301 en route to a 3-6 overall record.  

This past season, Bonners Ferry was projected to finish last in the 4A Intermountain Conference. Instead, they scored 348 points, only giving up 217 as they finished the season 7-3. Unbeaten in league play, the Badgers qualified for the state playoffs. It was Bonners Ferry’s second winning season in the last twenty years.  

BFHS head coach Danny Swift said the team entered the year with a simple approach: stay focused on the present. 

“We never talked about playoffs; we never talked about the league title,” Swift said. “We went to camp and just worked really hard to execute every day, every rep.”  

The first game of the season was a setback, as the Badgers lost 41-0 in an away game at Lakeland.  

Senior wide receiver and defensive tackle Sulay Abubakari said fatigue played a role in the loss. 

“We just went in, tried our best, but I think fatigue got us toward the end of the second quarter,” Abubakari said. 

The Badgers responded with wins over Priest River, 26-14 and St. Maries, 52-24. Senior running back Keenan Maas ran for over 300 yards during the two-game win streak. Before the season, he set both personal and team goals.  

“My personal expectations were to just get noticed by people,” Maas said. “Team expectations were just to beat Moscow and Timberlake.”   

Maas finished the season with 1,664 yards rushing and 23 total touchdowns, ranking second and third in Idaho, respectively. 

Bonners Ferry then faced Northwest Christian, riding a two-game winning streak. The Badgers fell behind 14-0 after the first quarter and 35-21 after the third before rallying back in a 42-39 loss. 

“In that game, what we saw from our team and what they learned about themselves was that they never gave up,” Swift said. “There were times when they could have.” 

A week later, BFHS faced Lakeside at home and again fell behind early, trailing 14-6 at the half. 

“Lakeside came out and they hit us in the mouth,” Swift said. “They popped us a good one. At halftime, we had to have a real man to man conversation about facing adversity. They came out in the second half and put it together.”

Bonners Ferry scored 16 points in the fourth quarter to win 28-21. Swift believed both the Northwest Christian and Lakeside games helped launch the rest of the season. 

“I think that was really a springboard for our season in the success we had,” Swift said. “The kids get all the credit for the grit and toughness they showed.” 

The Badgers then went on to win five games in a row, outscoring their opponents 189-68. The streak included conference opponents Moscow and Timberlake to win the league title as Bonners Ferry advanced to the Idaho 4A State Playoffs. 

In a back-and-forth game, Bonners Ferry lost 28-21 to American Falls to end their season. 

Senior running back and linebacker Conrad Hiatt said the defeat did not take away from the team’s accomplishments this season. 

“We should have won that game,” Hiatt said. "It sucks that we lost, but we had so many other great accomplishments this year that we can look at and be happy about.”  

Abubakari said the bond the team had helped make them better.  

“I feel like we had a lot of chemistry,” Abubakari said. “For those months, we basically lived together. We spent a lot of our time together.” 

Senior guard and defensive lineman Kait Aitken highlighted an improved work ethic compared to previous seasons. 

“I think we just had a different level of drive this year,” Aitken said. 

Swift said he aims to build sustained success by strengthening the entire program, including youth football. 

“Everywhere you go, you see our middle school and our youth kids wearing Badger football jerseys,” Swift said. “If we can generate that excitement and we can give these young people an opportunity and show our community that we’re committed to the longevity of the program, we’re hopeful we can stay on top.” 

Swift said that Bonners Ferry’s strong community culture is significant. 

“Every athlete, every student, whether they play once or they have one small role on the team, should have that opportunity to know what it’s like to have a community behind you, to rally behind you.” Swift said. “That experience — they’ll never forget it.” 

“Without the community support, without the love of the school and the teachers and the community members and the business owners, we can’t create that feeling.” 

Swift said football is only one part of what he hopes his players will carry with them. 

“They’re going to grow; they’re going to do amazing things,” Swift said. “The most important thing to me is that they become faithful husbands and loving fathers.” 

“My hope and dream is, as these young men grow, if the opportunity arises, they come back here and do special things in our community.”