At times it felt as though the Braves would see the game slip away. Other times the momentum was clearly in their favor. But after a second half filled with turnovers and tide-shifting plays, Star Valley came away with a 27-21 win on the Sugar-Salem field. It was their first victory at that particular locale having gone 0-3 in previous trips. The win also snapped a four-game losing streak to the Diggers in the short series between the two interstate powerhouses. 

Needing to play clean against an opponent who had come within an inch of winning six straight Idaho championships and having to settle for five of six, Star Valley came out a bit anxious. The extra jitters may have contributed to a few incomplete passes, an interception and an early blocked punt which set up the home team with a first and goal which they capitalized on. 

Using a drive set up through completed passes from Smith McClure to Bryson Nield and Cooper Lancaster, Star Valley answered with a 10-yard touchdown run from Grant Thomson to tie the game. Excitement spiked a few minutes later when the defense forced a punt to Bryson Nield who scored his second 90+ yard special teams touchdown in as many weeks for the Braves to take a 14-7 lead.

The Diggers put on a display of what their offense is all about with a time consuming drive of over eight minutes and a pair of fourth down conversions as they scored just before the half to tie the game on a plunge from  Dawson McInelly. He finished the game with 116 yards on the ground. 

Star Valley worked the ball down the field in the 33 seconds before the half to set up a 46-yard field goal attempt from Kristoff Buehler but it was blocked and returned an uncomfortable distance before the Braves settled for the halftime tie. 

While the Digger avoided turnovers in the first half, it foiled their efforts in the final two quarters. A promising drive was cut short on a forced fumble and return by Thomson which flipped the field. Using some trusted power running plays Star Valley settled in for an old-school drive with Thomson scoring again and giving the Braves a 21-14 lead. 

The turnover bug bit the Braves later in the third McClure’s attempt to the sideline was intercepted which set up a power running drive for the Diggers and a second rushing touchdown from Kimball Tonks to tie the game 21-21. 

With time running out after both teams stalled in their offensive possessions, the Diggers gives the Braves great field position with a shanked punt with just over a minute to go in the game. This was also aided a few moments later with a pass interference penalty against Sugar-Salem, their first flag of the game which put Star Valley in the red zone. 

From there, it was multiple pass attempts to sophomore Roman Erickson who hauled in the game winner with just 23 seconds left in the game. A missed extra point made the score 27-21. The Diggers tried to mount a final drive but it was thwarted which sparked a Star Valley celebration. 

McClure finished with 194 yards passing and the winning score. Grant Thomson rushed for 62 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just nine carries. Erickson, Nield and Lancaster all finished with over 50 yards each through the air. 

Defensively, Dayton Schwab collected his third interception in three games. 

Scores from Around the State (Provided by wyopreps.com)

Elsewhere in the 3A class, #2 Cody blasted #3 Douglas 49-0. #5 Powell handled Lander 39-9. Buffalo fought off Jackson 19-14. #4 Riverton avenged their playoff loss from last season as they edged Evanston, 17-13. Green River picked up a win over Rawlins, 28-15. 

In the 2A West, Cokeville defended Titletown with a 13-8 win over #5 Lyman while #2 Mountain View traveled to #3 Lovell and held on for a 42-35 win after leading 28-0. #4 Worland defeated Thermopolist 21-6 in a renewal of their rivalry (check out wyoming-football.com for more on that game). Kemmerer moved to 2-0 with a 31-12 victory over Pinedale.