2 weeks Ago By JUSTIN [email protected]
KIMBERLY — Kimberly did not mince words in its postgame huddle following a 47-21 loss to Homedale. The Bulldogs competed in the second half, but it didn't matter after digging a 40-0 hole over the first 24 minutes. Senior running back/linebacker Damon Taylor told the team it was "embarrassing," and apologized for letting his offensive line down with a first-quarter fumble that the Trojans turned into a touchdown.
Senior wide receiver/defensive back AJ Walker told the team he thought they could still compete with the best teams in the state but needed to play more as a team. One assistant coach told the team they were letting too much of the grumbling in the community from the slow start to the season impact their play. Head coach Joe Dille said that while this is as talented as a team he's coached, they needed to believe it and play with more fire.
Kimberly entered this year knowing it had a challenging start to the season, beefing up its nonconference schedule after feeling the same part of the 2023 slate didn't prepare them enough for the postseason, which ended with a 35-32 loss to Weiser in the quarterfinals. Homedale boasts a 63-8 mark since 2018, with five of those losses coming to a Sugar-Salem team that has won five state championships during that stretch. Kimberly will travel to Sugar City to play the Diggers next week.
Snake River, who Kimberly beat 28-24 on Sept. 6, has won consecutive South East Idaho Conference championships. Sutter Union (California), who beat the Bulldogs 28-14 on Aug.
30, has won at least nine games in its past 13 full seasons. The Bulldogs knew they would take some lumps and have seen glimpses of their potential. What's frustrating is that team hasn't shown up enough in the 1-3 start this fall.
"Last year we could get away with playing a quarter or two with some of those teams and being OK and winning games," Kimberly head coach Joe Dille told the Times-News. "You can't do that against the good opponents we've been playing these first five games. You have to put it all together and right now we haven't done that.
Until we do, it's gonna be a struggle." The Bulldogs have won a half in each game they played but haven't put together four full quarters. In a season-opening 32-28 loss at Fruitland, Kimberly led 28-19 before surrendering two long touchdowns late in the fourth quarter.
Against Sutter Union (California), they trailed 28-7 at halftime. The following week against Snake River, Kimberly dominated the first half before holding off the Panthers. Against Homedale, the Bulldogs turned the ball over three times, all three of which led to Trojans touchdowns.
Homedale also blocked a punt, returned it for a touchdown and recorded passing touchdowns of 62 and 86 yards in the first half. The Bulldogs outscored the Trojans 21-7 in the second half. "You can't win many games when you're doing half of that, let alone as many as we did," Dille said.
Dille has tried everything to get his team motivated, but nothing has clicked so far. Everything from the nice speeches to what he calls "fire and brimstone." The mindset, like the play on the field, just hasn't been put together.
The pieces are there. Quarterback MaCraye Bruning can get the ball to his receivers when given time. Taylor is a tough, physical runner and receivers Mason Jensen, Titus Osterman and Walker can all make plays.
The offensive and defensive lines get good push up front. The team captains seem to realize too, that things need to change. Taylor told his team he didn't want to hear any negativity that week in practice.
Leave what's said about the team off the field there. The Bulldogs will have the chance to reset after next week with a bye before starting the quest to defend their Sawtooth Central Idaho Conference title with a home contest against Filer on Oct. 4.
That's when Kimberly thinks the tough early season slate will start to pay off. But the Bulldogs can't just flip a switch when the games really start to matter. Things need to be moving in the right direction more consistently before then.
"Our big problem right now is together as a team, we haven't been as cohesive as we said we would," Walker told the TimesNews. "If we can come together as brothers, as a family and not listen to the crap that's going on outside of football that's when we can put together four quarters of a game." Get local news delivered to your inbox!.
