kang@journalnet.com

IDAHO FALLS - Terrance Quenton stood outside the visitors' locker room at Thunder Stadium and wept.

Century's 42-13 loss to Hillcrest in the first round of the state playoffs Friday meant Quenton's season officially had ended. But what pained him even more was the fact that his senior teammates' careers were over, and this wasn't the ending Quenton had envisioned for them.

"We're sad we couldn't win for our seniors, and this is their last chance," said Quenton, a junior running back. "I would be so sad if I was a senior, and I didn't get to go all the way."

By making the playoffs, Century went farther than most had expected for a squad that limped to a winless season the year before. But the Diamondbacks found it hard to appreciate that after Friday's loss, one in which the Knights thoroughly outplayed them.

Hillcrest rushed for almost 500 yards on the ground, with running backs Jordan Speirs and Devin Droghei each topping 200 yards. The Diamondbacks, on the other hand, couldn't get their high-flying offense off the ground, partly due to four turnovers. That performance left them, and especially the seniors, desperately wondering what they could have done differently as the final seconds ticked away.

"We didn't know how to feel, us seniors," wide receiver Storm Shelley said. "We didn't want to finish that last part out because we knew it would be our last time out on the field. It was just tough, that last time."

It became apparent right from the beginning that Century's offense wasn't in full gear, unlike Hillcrest's. On their first possession, the Diamondbacks advanced to the Hillcrest seven-yard line, only to be stopped on downs. Hillcrest immediately marched down the field on a 10-play, 92-yard drive that ended with the first of Droghei's four rushing scores.

Century quarterback Michael Semons threw an interception on a screen pass on the next drive, and Hillcrest converted that into a 14-0 lead when Speirs punched it in from 23 yards out.

"We broke down," Semons said. "We had some plays that we shouldn't have given up, and that could have been a big turning point in the game for us."

The first quarter summed up what the rest of the game looked like. Century's only score of the first half came on a trick play, with Shelley collecting a Semons pass on the right sideline and heaving it to Koby Campbell for a 50-yard touchdown. Two interceptions and a lost fumble prevented Century from gaining much more traction.

On the rare occasions when Century stuffed Hillcrest's rushing attack, Knights quarterback Matt Astel countered with unexpected passes. Astel completed just 2-of-4 attempts, but one came on a fake punt that extended what turned out to be a scoring drive, and the other was a play-action touchdown pass.

Droghei and Speirs, who finished with 203 and 238 yards, respectively, took care of the rest, continually moving the chains for the Knights.

"They're bigger and stronger than us," Century coach Nate Borchert said. "They're big and physical, and that's the reason why they've gone through their conference and gone through teams this year. When push comes to shove, they move people, and it's going to take a team that's as big and as physical to slow them down."

Still, Borchert didn't begrudge his team's effort. Despite the way it ended, Borchert called this season the most enjoyable of his entire coaching career.

Their teary frustration prevented Century's players from grasping just what they had accomplished, but Campbell and Shelley said it probably will sink in during the weeks to follow.

Said Shelley: "We'll all be glad with how the season went, how we all came together as a family and how it all ended up."