SUGAR CITY — Bonners Ferry traveled 10 hours to face the No. 2 team, Sugar-Salem, in 4A soccer last Saturday and gave them everything they had in their state play-in game. 

The Badgers held the Diggers, one of the top offenses in Idaho, to a 0-0 tie in the first half. Bonners Ferry head coach said his team came out fighting and played impressive defense for the first 65 minutes of the match.

"We had a couple opportunities shooting the ball, but in reality we are a pretty defensive team," Solis said. "No one believed that we could pull it off, and the boys went down and believed the whole time. We fought hard, and we all left with our heads high."

However, the Diggers broke through the Badgers' back line in the 67th minute and scored off a corner kick to take a 1-0 lead. Solis said Bonners Ferry has struggled to defend set pieces all season, and it bit them again at the worst moment.

Now down a goal and only 13 minutes left, Solis and his coaching staff moved players up in the formation to try and generate an equalizer and keep their season alive. Yet, it was Sugar-Salem who would take advantage just six minutes later with their second goal, capping off a 2-0 win over Bonners Ferry. 

The loss ends the season for the Badgers, who finish 11-5-1 overall.

"I'll take the blame as a coaching staff. We kinda messed up on that second one, and that's how we got scored on," Solis said. "The scoreline doesn't show how much passion, pride and fight those boys gave."

Solis is in his first year at the helm of Bonners Ferry boys soccer but has spent the last four years coaching the group of seniors who played their final game in Badger blue and white on Saturday. Solis said he is grateful for what seniors Kordale Burt, Aaron Tadlock, Riley Beggarly, Ben Middleton, Maddox Sherraden and Peyton Hinthorn have given to the program. 

"We're going to miss them, but we're going to move forward," Solis said. "We are going to build on it and keep moving forward."

In addition to his seniors, Solis thanked the community for rallying around the time the entire season, including supporting them on the long trip down to play Sugar-Salem. 

"To go 10 hours on a bus ride and look across the sideline and see 30-plus people that are cheering for Bonners Ferry is something you take a lot of pride in," Solis said. "Thank you to everybody that made the trip, thank you to the school, all our fans and the boys."