BURLEY – Pocatello nearly experienced heartbreak once again Friday, but was instead introduced to a newfound feeling of jubilation and fulfillment saved for a postseason-bound future.
The Indians secured their first 4A state playoff berth since 2011 and avoided another excruciating loss in a season full of them, coming back from 16-0 to barely beat Burley 23-22 on the road.
The game was decided on a 2-point conversion attempt by the Bobcats, who called a run for back Judson Mathis. He was strung out on an outside run before being wrapped up by multiple Pocatello defenders short of the goal line.
“It turned into smash-mouth football,” Pocatello coach Dave Spillett said. “It’s 3 yards away. You get a stop, you win, you go to the playoffs. You don’t, you’re done. A do-or-die situation.”
Pocatello (5-4, 2-2 4A District 4-5 East Pod) erased its deficit by scoring 23 unanswered points, a stretch buoyed by three-way player Jadyn Downs, who completed 21 of 39 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns.
“Everyone just believed,” Downs said. “No one gave up. Just kept grinding. There’s no quit on our team.”
In a two-minute span, Downs made a one-handed interception and a 12-yard touchdown run to put his team ahead for the first time, 23-16, with 10 minutes, 9 seconds left in the game.
When Spillett was asked if he expects those kind of plays out of Downs, he said, “We probably shouldn’t because they’re so spectacular, but that’s exactly what he does every single week. I can’t believe there’s another kid across the state that’s doing more for his team than Jadyn Downs.”
The Indians scored both of their second-half TDs in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter. Downs found Casey Bruner in the corner of the end zone to cut the deficit to 16-14, 15 seconds into the quarter.
PHOTOS: Pocatello-Burley football
The Indians still had to tie the game with a 2-point conversion, which was executed with a popular play known as the Philly Special. Zach Park received the second handoff on a reverse before tossing it to Downs for two points.
“That was fun,” Spillett said. “The kids were excited. We could tell we were going to get the look that we wanted and the kids executed perfectly."
After Pocatello’s fourth-quarter TDs, Burley delivered a long-winded, last-gasp response with a 95-yard touchdown drive that spanned 7:44 to cut the deficit to 23-22.
The Indians never did find out how to contain Burley’s Ethan Gibbons and the final drive was no exception against the dual-threat quarterback, who tallied 152 yards rushing and scored the first two TDs of the game to put his team ahead 16-0 with 5 seconds left in the first quarter.
After Burley reached midfield in its final drive, Gibbons notched 42 of the last 52 yards. Running back Luis Gomez scored on an 8-yard touchdown run to set up the biggest moment of the game.
Going into the game, Burley (3-6, 0-4 4A District 4-5 East Pod) had lost four games by 35-plus points this season as the conference’s bottom feeder, but the Bobcats had an advantage in playing with nothing to lose on senior night while the Indians had everything to lose.
Pocatello was in an identical situation two years ago, with a state bid up for grabs on the road against a team that was out of postseason contention. The Indians ended up losing that game 28-24 to Blackfoot.
Even this year’s Indians struggled winning close games, going 1-3 in games decided by fewer than seven points entering Friday.
But they found a way Friday, in what turned out to be one of their most meaningful wins of this decade.
“I couldn’t be more happy for our guys who have just put so much time into it. Way before the season started, we had a great group of guys who had great senior leadership,” Spillett said. “Great participation all the way up through our entire program and for that to pay off for these kids is so satisfying for me. I could not be prouder of our guys right now.”
Up next:
Pocatello faces District 3 champion Kuna in the first round of the 4A state playoffs at an undetermined time and location.