A state title so nice Bishop Kelly had to win it twice. BK hangs on for 4A football crown

The party started a bit early for the Bishop Kelly football team Friday. But the Knights got it right the second time.

Bishop Kelly survived two celebration penalties and a potential game-tying field goal in the final second, hanging on for a 29-26 victory over Hillcrest in the 4A state championship on the blue turf at Boise State.

Bedlam first struck when Bishop Kelly’s Trey Jorgensen tapped down a Hillcrest receiver at the 27-yard line and the clock read all zeroes. But the referees ruled 1 second remained on the clock, and flagged Jorgensen for taunting and the Bishop Kelly (13-0) bench for leaving the sideline early.

The penalties earned Hillcrest a shot at a game-tying, 27-yard field goal. But Rylan Borgmann’s kick sailed wide right, finally allowing the celebration to begin in earnest.

“This is the happiest I’ve ever been, for sure,” Bishop Kelly senior lineman Rakeem Johnson said. “We’re gonna remember this for the rest of our lives. It was great to finish this one off.”

The victory marked Bishop Kelly’s eighth football state championship and capped their seventh perfect season. But the confusing final seconds served as a fitting end to a back-and-forth championship game.

Bishop Kelly led the entire game. But Hillcrest (12-1) scored a touchdown on all of its second-half possessions except the final one, cutting the lead to three points each time and never letting Bishop Kelly pull away.

The Knights from Idaho Falls forced a turnover on downs at their own 29-yard line with 2:43 left for a chance at a game-winning drive. Hillcrest finished the night with 422 total yards, but Bishop Kelly’s defense made the one stop it needed in the final seconds to hang on.

MINNAERT TAKES OVER

Bishop Kelly running back Peter Minnaert put together another monster night, finishing with 22 carries for 138 yards and three touchdowns. His 3-yard touchdown to open the fourth quarter ended up as the game winner and possibly his most impressive run of the night.

Hillcrest defensive end Isaac Davis blew his way into the backfield and met Minnaert 3 yards behind the line of scrimmage. But Minnaert somehow slipped the tackle, reversed field and cruised into the end zone.

“It’s Peter, dude. That’s all,” Bishop Kelly defensive back Sam Knell said with a shrug. “No. 44. You know him. You’ve seen him. That’s what he does.”

The 4A classification’s leading rusher added touchdown runs of 20 and 27 yards, continually making a host of defenders miss on his way to the end zone. He even came in as a defensive end on the game’s final possession, pressured the quarterback and made a tackle for a 4-yard loss.

“I can’t believe he doesn’t have Division I FCS offers,” Bishop Kelly coach Chris Culig said. “He’s as good of a running back as I’ve ever been around. And if he can’t do that, he can play linebacker.

“He’s a great leader. He’s our vocal leader and sets the tone.”

Knell secured Bishop Kelly’s only other score, but it might have been the most important one. Hillcrest worked its way off the 1-yard line following a 51-yard punt from Griffin Brady in the second quarter. But Knell diagnosed a route combination and jumped an out route on his team’s sideline, picking off a Peyton King pass and returning it 23 yards for a touchdown and a 15-6 lead.

“When the defense goes out there and makes a turnover or two, it takes a lot of pressure off the offense,” Minnaert said. “It lets us play loose, play free, just go out there and have fun. So that was big time.”

BISHOP KELLY GETS REDEMPTION

The victory provided Bishop Kelly some solace after seeing a perfect season end in last year’s state championship game.

The Knights from Boise dominated opponents all season, posting 4A’s best offense and defense and spending the final seven weeks of the regular season atop the state media poll. But the job remained unfinished until Friday.

“That stung. That stung a lot, actually,” Minnaert said of last year’s loss to Skyline. “So that was definitely our motivating factor coming into this game. We weren’t going to let that slip through our hands again.”

ANOTHER TITLE FOR CULIG

Bishop Kelly’s first-year coach added to his title haul Friday. He’s now won three state championships as a head coach and five including his years as an assistant at Rocky Mountain and Eagle.

He joined the Knights this year with big shoes to fill after the retirement of Tim Brennan. But he said he realized early on Bishop Kelly had what it took to contend right away.

“I’ve been around enough championship teams to know when that team chemistry and vibe is there,” Culig said. “I noticed that, like, the first week I was there. And then our talent matched it.

“So once that happened, I was like, ‘Oh, we’ve got a chance to be special.”