POCATELLO – Snake River senior Payton Brooks doesn’t identify with the father-son bond of baseball. To him it’s a mother-son bond, a deep-rooted connection that began when his mother, Brittany, threw Payton straight into coach-pitch and later made sure that he never gave up the game.

Payton moved from Blackfoot to Snake River following his freshman year, and struggled with the change of scenery enough that he thought of giving up baseball.

“We’ve got to keep going,” Brittany told Payton. “You’ve been playing for a really long time.”

On Saturday afternoon, Payton stood near the Panthers dugout and let out a smile so bright it would have given the sun a run for its money. After tossing a seven-inning complete game to lift Snake River to its first state tournament berth since 2015, the memories with his mom fluttered back.

All the hours they spent together culminated with Saturday’s elation.

“My mom really wanted me to be successful and she always pushed it down my throat that I had to work hard,” Payton said. “Even after baseball practices, she was the one to catch my bullpens. I was the one who threw to her.”

Brittany couldn’t find catching gear to fit her but, determined to help her son, she bought soccer shin guards and crouched down 60 feet, six inches from Payton, letting him fire away. Brittany’s only request was that he avoid hurling curveballs, scared that a misfire could take an ugly bounce.

“It helped a lot. Really, it was just comfort,” Payton said. “I felt comfortable playing with my mom and her helping me, telling me to keep my head up. Even now when I’m pitching, I can hear her yelling in the stands telling me what to do.”

Payton probably heard his mom bellowing from the stands at Halliwell Park on Saturday, cheering on her son during Snake River’s 9-4 win over Filer in the state play-in game. In maybe the biggest game of his career, the senior allowed nine hits and four earned runs while fanning a half-dozen, pitching to contact in an outing where he didn’t have his best stuff.

“His baseball knowledge is through the roof. He’s a kid you can tell hasn’t just watched SportsCenter but has actually watched games,” Snake River coach Rich Dunn said. “His ability to manage a game and know the situation is something you don’t see too often in Eastern Idaho.”

Up seven runs in the bottom of the seventh, Payton encountered some trouble, allowing four baserunners in the final frame. The situation never became dire enough that the game was in jeopardy but, trying to calm down his ace, Dunn ran out to the mound in the midst of Payton’s troubles.

Dunn hardly had to open his mouth.

“I know. Five-six-seven. I’ve got to nibble with five and just pound the zone with six and seven,” Dunn remembered Payton telling him, referring to the batters coming up for Filer. “We don’t have that posted or written. He knows right where we’re at and how to handle it.”

Brooks also collected three hits and drove in a run in the Panthers’ victory, making him the only Snake River player to record more than one hit. The Panthers broke the game open in the fourth when Cash Jensen lined a two-run double to center and Danny Wray smoked a two-run single to left only a few pitches later.

It’s no surprise Snake River hasn’t made the state tournament in six years. It’s tough to advance out of a conference with one-and-a-quarter bids — particularly one that includes Marsh Valley, the juggernaut that won the 2019 state title and enters this tournament with a 25-0 record. Perhaps that’s what has made this run so special for Snake River, knowing how rare these seasons are.

“I’ve been fortunate to have been to state a couple times in some different sports, and baseball, but we have a program that doesn’t have a kid who has been to state in baseball,” Dunn said. “We’re hoping it’s the start of a new run.”

Snake River (12-10-1) plays Bonners Ferry in the 3A state tournament at 1 p.m. on Thursday at Fruitland HS.

SNAKE RIVER 9, FILER 4

Snake River 001 700 1 — 9 9 0

Filer 002 000 2 — 4 9 2

Snake River — WP: Payton Brooks. 2B: Cash Jensen.

Filer — LP: Logan Lockwood. 2B: Jett VanBiezen.

BEAR LAKE 9, NORTH FREMONT 4

At Blackfoot, Bear Lake earned a spot in the state tournament after a 9-4 win over South Fremont in Saturday’s state play-in game.

Senior ace Owen Teuscher had a dozen strikeouts in his complete-game performance. Teuscher, a flame-throwing righty, has been spectacular all season but, often, his margin for error is razor thin.

Bear Lake starts a freshman and six sophomores, a young squad that has struggled to put runs on the board. It’s part of the reason the Bears have just a 6-15-2 record.

“I was pretty open and honest what we were with the kids,” Bear Lake coach Craig Culver said. “My sophomores didn’t have a JV season so, really, we were a JV team on a varsity field. I tried to set that message early and they bought in. They continued to work.”

Now, after finishing runner-up in the three-team 2A District 5, the Bears are on to state. And with Teuscher expected to be on the mound against Nampa Christian in the first round of the state tournament, who knows what could happen?

“Of course I have expectations,” Culver said. “I assume Nampa has seen some pop, but Owen hits his spot and has incredible pop. And who knows who Nampa will throw.

“We have nothing to lose and everything to gain – but we’re definitely going there looking to win.”

Bear Lake (6-15-2) plays Nampa Christian in the 2A State Tournament at Halliwell Park on Thursday at 12:30 p.m.

BEAR LAKE 9, NORTH FREMONT 4

North Fremont 300 100 0 — 4 3 5

Bear Lake 402 030 x — 9 11 2

North Fremont — LP: Lanz.

Bear Lake — WP: Owen Teuscher. 2B: Matix Jacobson, Owen Teuscher, Tyler Wells