POCATELLO — Highland’s 32-7 victory over Pocatello in the 63rd annual Black and Blue Bowl Friday night at Lookout Credit Union Field was sloppy, frustrating and just downright ugly.

However, Porter Burrows’ scoop-and-score was anything but.

Nearly three months to the day after losing his father, the senior defensive end’s late-game heroics helped the fifth-ranked Rams (5-1 overall, 1-0 6A Southeastern Conference) continue their dominance in the crosstown rivalry with a 15th straight win. They now lead the all-time series 55-15.

“All I could think about was him when I picked up that ball,” Burrows said while fighting through tears after the game. “I knew he was watching from up there, and he’ll never miss a game again.”

Jacob Burrows passed away on June 27, 2025 due to liver failure and complications with diverticulitis, a condition where small pouches in the colon become inflamed or infected.

He was only 43.

“He just got really sick,” Porter said. “That’s why I’m playing − for him and my teammates. I knew they needed me.”

Even an elbow injury that has bothered him since training camp hasn’t been enough to keep Burrows off the field.

He’s been an integral part of a Highland defense that is allowing just 18 points per game, ranking among the top units in the state. Take away the 70-6 loss to Skyridge − one of Utah’s premier programs − and the Rams have surrendered only 43 points in five games this season.

“Porter is a great guy. He’s going through a lot obviously,” said junior running back Cedric Mitchell. “He probably shouldn’t even be playing. With his dad, it’s rough. But he’s a big part of our team, and he’s great on defense.”

That toughness was on full display Friday night when sophomore linebacker Karver Kap jarred the ball loose while sacking Pocatello quarterback Rhev Stucki. Burrows immediatel picked up the fumble and raced 10 yards into the end zone for a touchdown that effectively sealed the Rams’ victory, putting them ahead 25-7 with 8:58 remaining.

“It’s tough to see a young man have to deal with losing someone he was really close with,” Highland head coach Nick Sorrell said. “But for him to come out and play for something bigger than himself, his dad would be very proud of the man he is growing into.”

Burrows echoed those sentiments, believing his father would be proud of the man he’s becoming.

As he crossed the goal line Friday night, Burrows raised his hand toward the sky before being mobbed by teammates in the end zone. He screamed and jumped up and down in celebration, his emotions pouring out after months of holding them in.

“He’d probably be laughing at me,” Porter said with a smile. “I’m pretty animated.”

It was all part of a dominant 20-point fourth quarter that finally broke the game wide open for Highland.

The explosion began less than a minute into the final period when Mitchell broke free for a 78-yard touchdown run down the far sideline, giving the Rams some much-needed breathing room with an 18-7 lead.

“Once I break the second level, I know I’m not gonna get tackled,” said Mitchell, who finished with 130 yards on 12 carries, including 120 in the fourth quarter alone. “I was waiting for that the whole game, honestly.”

Highland capped it off with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Jacob Vincent to Kona Baldwin with 4:43 left.

“Credit to the coaching staff and to these guys that stuck with it and finally found some things that worked,” Sorrell said. “These guys think that they can just flip a switch, but football doesn’t work that way.”

Highland found that out firsthand through the first three quarters.

The Rams were stuffed on a 4th-and-1 at their own 17-yard line, which set up the Thunder’s first and only score of the game. On the very next play, Stucki found Hunter Cordell in the corner of the end zone for a 17-yard strike less than four minutes into the game.

A punt followed before Highland registered its first points on a 44-yard field goal by Seth Bartschi with 11:44 remaining in the first half. But the Rams found themselves in jeopardy of falling behind by double digits when Pocatello drove the ball inside the red zone.

The Thunder looked poised for a 1st-and-goal when Tavin Williams hauled in a pass from Stucki to the 2-yard line. But a block-in-the-back penalty wiped it out. Several other penalties, along with errant snaps over Stucki’s head, all led to Pocatello coming away with nothing.

“We were in a situation where we’re going to go down and score. We’re going to go up 14-3,” said Pocatello coach Dave Spillet. “There was a call that, after we watched it on film, really wasn’t there, but it got called, and that put us in a bad spot.”

The Rams then marched 69 yards in nine plays to take the lead for good on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Vincent to Easton Almond with 1:20 remaining in the first half. But Highland wasn’t done yet.

McKay Galo picked off Stucki with 27 seconds left, and Vincent hit Almond again, this time for 41 yards to put the Rams within Bartschi’s range. He promptly booted a 36-yard field goal to give Highland a 12-7 advantage at the break.

“When you get a goal-line stand and then we take that swing and get back on top, it’s just a different feeling going into halftime rather than possibly being down 14-3,” Sorrell said.

Huston Himmerich ran for 84 yards and Stucki threw for 91 yards, a touchdown and an interception for Pocatello (1-4), which has dropped to 1-4 for the first time since 2018 and lost three straight for the first time in three years. But Spillet remains optimistic about his young team’s potential.

“We went into this season knowing that we’re gonna have to go through some growing pains,” Spillet said. “Every week we’ve got to get better. I think by the end, we’re going to be a pretty freaking dangerous team.”

The Thunder will look to bounce back next week on the road at Twin Falls.

The Rams, meanwhile, will prepare for a top-5 showdown with No. 3 and defending state champion Rigby (4-1) on Oct. 3 in a game that could decide the league title.

“That game’s been circled from day one,” Sorrell said. “Most of the time you know that’s the game that’s going to come down to for that one seed.”