Friday was Deja Vu. For the second-straight season, the American Legion Single-A State Championship came down to a pair of Southeastern Idaho powerhouses.

Marsh Valley and the Pocatello Razorbacks dueled it out again for a berth in regionals and, again, the Eagles came out on top, edging Poky 3-2 on Friday in Lewiston.

A season ago, the Eagles came into the championship with a state loss on their resume and needed a pair of wins over the Razorbacks (25-17) to notch the first-place trophy.

“The kids were super gritty, they were gritty the whole tournament,” Marsh Valley coach Kent Howell said. “The best part was they were willing to play for each other. They wanted to fill a role.”

Their championship path was much smoother this go-round. Marsh Valley went 5-0 in the state tournament, outscoring its opponents 39-17 en route to another title.

Despite the stellar run differential, there was drama on Friday.

Pocatello starter Trem Tolman and Marsh Valley hurler Jason Jones were both spectacular.

Jones allowed just four hits and two earned runs in six innings and Tolman pitched a seven-hit complete game that included just one earned run.

“Hats off to Trem, he was great and kept us off balance,” Howell said. “Our offense really got quiet during districts and we lived off our pitching. Luckily we got both going during state.”

After six innings, the pair hadn’t allowed an extra-base hit and the Eagles and Razorbacks were tied 2-2. Then in the final frame, Stanton Howell advanced to second on an error and Karter Howell brought him home four pitches later, blasting a two-out triple into center field.

”You know how those situations are,” Kent Howell said. “Its all about finishing a way — and Karter did. That was pretty intense.”

Payton Howe closed things out for the Eagles in the bottom of the seventh, shutting the door on any chance of a Pocatello comeback.

The Eagles (36-3-2) will fly to regionals in Anchorage, Alaska on Wednesday and play the Montana Single-A champion on Friday at 10 a.m. COVID nixed regionals last season, and the idea of a trip to Alaska was the enticing carrot for Marsh Valley to repeat.

We’re going to represent the state and do the best we can,” Kent Howell said. “But when the game starts, it gets competitive.”

Perhaps no team understands that notion more than Marsh Valley.

The Eagles high school team entered last season’s 3A state tournament – the favorite to earn gold after the Marsh Valley basketball team won state months earlier. Instead, the Eagles fell 12-10 to Weiser in extra innings – a learning lesson that persisted into the Legion season.

“Everything they keep experiencing, it has been awesome development – mentally but also the IQ of the game,” Kent Howell said. “We lost in the state tournament and they knew they played great but the game didn’t go their way. That helped us in this because they knew any tight game could go their way.”

MARSH VALLEY 3, POCATELLO RAZORBACKS 2

Marsh Valley 101 000 1 — 3 7 1

Pocatello 000 200 0 — 2 4 4

Marsh Valley — WP: Jason Jones. 3B: Karter Howell.

Pocatello — LP: Trem Tolman.