PREP FOOTBALL ROUNDUP: Badgers prevail in double overtime thriller in Moscow
JACK FREEMAN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 58 minutes AGO
Bonners Ferry 38, Moscow 37
MOSCOW — After finding the end zone in double overtime against the Moscow Bears, Bonners Ferry trailed by one, leaving head coach Danny Swift with a decision.
If the Badgers went for a 2-point conversion, they could win it on the next play, but if they don’t convert, Bonners Ferry falls for the fourth straight week. Swift stuck with his gut and lined up his Badgers to go for the win.
“There was no analytics or anything like that,” Swift said. “It was just the thought that our kids were rolling, and we believe in them. Felt they were believing in what we were doing, and it just seemed like the right thing to do in the moment.”
Bonners Ferry was rolling. They had stormed out to a 22-14 halftime lead and had already converted on a 2-point conversion in the first overtime. As the ball was snapped, the left side of the Badgers' line parted like the Red Sea, allowing senior quarterback Alex Stolley to walk in for a game-winning try.
The narrow 38-37 victory over Intermountain League foe Moscow snapped a three-game losing streak for Bonners Ferry and vaulted them to 4-3 overall and 1-0 in league play.
“It was a huge, huge, huge, huge win for us,” Swift said. “You go through a stretch like Sandpoint, Fruitland, Logos, and we didn’t really bring our lunch against Logos, so that was weighing on us a little bit, and the guys responded. They were awesome.”
Fresh out of their lone bye week, the Badgers fought the entire game as the two league rivals traded blows back and forth. Moscow took control of the game in the second half, eventually tying it up to force overtime as Bonners Ferry battled with untimely penalties that stalled much of their momentum.
Swift said the victory was a total team effort and that there wasn’t one player who didn’t make an impact. The Badgers’ head coach added that he felt their linemen exemplified that effort and were key all night long.
“Our guys in the trenches were just so tough and so gritty all day long,” Swift said. "Our defensive front, our offensive line, the six guys that rotated through there. I thought he worked so hard, played so hard, and just battled, and battled, and battled and battled.”
Bonners Ferry will close out their season with a senior night battle against league rival Timberlake on Oct. 16 at 7 p.m.
Moscow 7 8 0 7 15 — 37
Bonners Ferry 7 15 0 0 16 — 38
Wallace 50, Clark Fork 2
WALLACE — The 1A Clark Fork Wampus couldn’t hang with the 2A Wallace Miners in a non-league matchup on Friday night.
Further details were not available by press time. This article will be updated once more information is available.
ARTICLES BY JACK FREEMAN
PREP FOOTBALL: Badgers prevail in double overtime thriller in Moscow
PREP FOOTBALL ROUNDUP: Badgers prevail in double overtime thriller in Moscow, Wallace rolls past Clark Fork.
PREP FOOTBALL ROUNDUP: Badgers prevail in double overtime thriller in Moscow
PREP FOOTBALL ROUNDUP: Badgers prevail in double overtime thriller in Moscow, Wallace rolls past Clark Fork.
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