BOISE — Highland isn't used to losing.

The Rams are the most storied program in Idaho history, with 12 state championships and a playoff streak that dates all the way back to 1990.

But there was no semblance of that Friday night at Dona Larsen Park. Instead, it was a blown double-digit lead and unfamiliar screams and shouts of "This is our legacy" and "Someone has to step up" coming out of the locker room in the wake of the 29-25 loss to Capital. Highland now suddenly finds itself 0-3 for the first time in a decade.

"I've let these guys down," Highland head coach Nick Sorrell said stoically. "It's three losses, but same story all three games, and that's on me. We've got to do a better job getting these guys ready and figuring out who can play this game at the highest level. We still have opportunities in front of us. But until we figure out who we are as a team, this is the result that's going to fall."

The Rams seemed to have righted the ship. They jumped out to a 10-0 lead when senior quarterback Jacob Vincent found Easton Almond over the middle for a 44-yard pass with still 3:40 left in the first quarter.

But the Eagles (2-1) scored 15 unanswered points, including connecting on a 60-yard bomb to take a 15-10 lead with 3:09 left in the half.

Highland regained the lead right before the break, though. It came after Vincent found Kona Baldwin in the back of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown pass with 47 seconds remaining.

However, Capital took the lead right back on its opening drive of the second half. The Rams even got the Eagles to a fourth-and-9. But Quincy Clay converted it anyway on a 41-yard strike to Colson Deluca to go up 22-17 at the 7:31 mark of the third quarter.

"You look at momentum plays out there — we try to eliminate those dynamic plays, especially defensively, and create them offensively," Sorrell said. "But when you let a team score like that that quick, that shifts the momentum."

The Rams were able to get it back when Vincent connected with Almond again. This time it was a 30-yard touchdown, with Almond somehow keeping his feet inbounds along the sideline. He also caught the two-point conversion to give Highland a 25-22 lead with 7:12 remaining in regulation.

The score came about after a gutsy call from Sorrell. Facing fourth-and-1 at their own 13-yard line, Highland sent Cedric Mitchell out to punt. But the Idaho State commit had other ideas, finding a crease and taking off for a 9-yard run and a first down.

"We needed that just to get some momentum going," Sorrell said. "Cedric's smart enough that he understands the situation and what he needed."

But Capital had the last word. The Rams were unable to get the Eagles off the field on a 15-play, 80-yard drive that ate up nearly six and a half minutes.

Highland's best chance came on a fourth-and-3 at its own 30-yard line. But the Rams jumped offsides to give the Eagles an automatic first down. To make matters worse, Sorrell elected to hold onto two timeouts. Five plays later, Clay skipped into the end zone on an 11-yard run with just 45 seconds showing on the clock.

"I was like, you know what, I'm going to let these guys play," he said. "We talked about what's coming. He made a play, and we didn't."

The Rams still had one final chance. But they once again got in their own way. Almond dropped a pass that would have moved the chains and likely a lot more, and Baldwin couldn't hold onto back-to-back targets, including the game's final play, a hook-and-ladder attempt.

Highland was torched for 411 yards, including 377 alone from Clay, who completed 18 of 28 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns and added 107 yards on the ground. Most of the damage through the air went to Schrack, who hauled in eight catches for 150 yards and all three of Clay's touchdown passes.

"I looked at the chain crew, and I go, that's the story of our season at the moment," Sorrell said. "It sucks that it's that way, that we're putting ourselves in that position. But you look at all three teams we've played — they're three really quality, solid teams, and that's the schedule we want to have. At the same time, we should be able to win those games too. It's just that extra little focus we've got to dial in."

Vincent went 16 of 29 for 213 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Almond made five catches for 114 yards for the Rams, who'll now try to avoid an 0-4 start for maybe the first time in program history. Highland heads to a neutral-site game against Lake City (3-1) in Butte, Montana, on Friday at 7 p.m.

"We're back to the drawing board," Sorrell said. "We're going to come back Monday morning and find out who we really truly are, because I know this group of kids — there's a lot of ability, and they're going to be competitive and find ways to do things. But we've got to get it turned around, and turned around quickly."