Badger football makes history: Making it to the quarter finals

WEISER — The Badgers winning streak ended in the quarterfinals of the 3A IHSSA football state championship, but the team has won the heart of the community and these players will be remembered for years to come.

Bonners Ferry senior Blake Rice scored on a 10-yard run with 9:02 remaining to cut the deficit to 28-25 for the Badgers, who were unable to get any closer in a 35-25 loss to the defending state 3A champion Weiser Wolverines in the Saturday afternoon game.

Bonners Ferry, which notched its first playoff win since 2003 on Oct. 28 against Wood River, finished the season 9-1.

Weiser led 14-0 early before Rice found Charles Henslee on a 30-yard touchdown pass to put the Badgers on the scoreboard in the second quarter. Rice scored again on a 1-yard run, then kicked a 26-yard field goal to make it 21-17 at halftime.

Weiser put the game away on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Enders to Malakye Scott with four minutes remaining. Enders finished with three touchdown passes for Weiser (10-1), which advanced to face Homedale (9-1) in the semifinals this weekend.

Bonners Ferry 0 17 0 8 — 25

Weiser 7 14 7 7 — 35

Weis — Andrew Enders 24 run (Ryndon Olson kick)

Weis — Kaleb Grove 1 run (Olson kick)

BF — Charles Henslee 30 pass from Blake Rice (Rice kick)

Weis — Brock Spencer 8 pass from Enders (Olson kick)

BF — Rice 1 run (Rice kick)

BF — FG, Rice, 26.

Weis — Brayden Walker 29 pass from Enders (Olson kick)

BF — Rice 10 run (Henslee run)

Weis — Malakye Scott 22 pass from Enders (Olson kick)

This was the season that had fans and competitors alike explaining “Holy Schnikes,” much like head coach Travis Hinthorn exclaimed when mic-ed up on KREM2 news as Cleo Henslee dove for a touchdown against the Timberlake Tigers at the league championship game.

This year had fanfare with the community coming together to form the Badger Nation, packing the stands and even bringing in lawn chairs to cover the track as added seating. Badger Nation faithful traveled far and wide to see the team play, even outnumbering their opponent’s home crowd.

Hinthorn said the playoff game against Wood River had the largest attendance in any game he has seen in Bonners Ferry, with an estimated 1,200 people in attendance.

This year's team went farther than they ever have in years. Badger football's last visits to the state contest was 2015, 2013 and 2009. Each time the Badgers went one and out. On top of all of this, the Badgers went undefeated until the state quarterfinals.

With the changes in the Intermountain League of Priest River and Kellogg dropping to 2A, Timberlake and Bonners Ferry were left to battle it out. The Badgers went on to play and defeat previous 3A IML competitors such as St. Maries 46-14 and Kellogg 25-0. The Badgers also claimed the IML league championship for the first time since 2005.

The players were spurred on partially due to the coaches promising at the beginning of the season that they wouldn’t shave until the team lost. After each win the Badgers took photos with the sign “the beards live.” There were 23 seniors on the team.

Hinthorn said the team is a special group of kids that are growing into great young men.

“We were hoping for a good year because of all the time these guys have put in on and off the field in and out of season. How it just blew up in the community, and all the support was just amazing,” he said.

“We as coaches were just thankful for the journey these players took us on this season. The seniors will be greatly missed but this will be a year these players and coaches will remember forever,” he said.

The 2023 senior class was also undefeated in fifth and sixth grade, seventh and eighth grade football.

Badger football seniors include: Walker Henslee, Blake Rice, Charles Henslee, Michael Bollscweiler, Tully Reinhardt, Teigan Banning, Cleo Henslee, Elijah Dahl, Josh Pinkerton, Braden Baisden, Joshua Varelman, Dillion Mai, David Hammons, Travis Petersen, Zach Carver, Remington Jacobson, Donny Riess, Ivaan Silook, Noah Bottcher, Marcus Regehr and Henry Willisand Kara Villaluz.