BOISE — Where was the Gatorade shower? Pandemonium and uproar?

Bishop Kelly used two late fourth-quarter touchdowns Friday night to defeat Nampa, 35-18, and clinch its first 4A SIC title since 2005, but the scene afterward looked like an average win.

"I told them our party's at the (postseason) football banquet," said BK coach Lee Leslie, whose team improved to 7-1, 6-0 4A SIC. "We'll talk and get warm and fuzzy when that day comes.

"Until then, we've got a lot of work to do."

The Knights recorded 279 yards on the ground Friday, led by Matt Sato (15 carries, 154 yards, two touchdowns) and Nik Buich (20-94, one touchdown). But despite the dominant running attack — all while the defense held the 4A SIC's leading rusher, Nampa's Mahonri Bostrom, to just 73 yards on 17 carries  — the game was closer than the score indicated.

Midway through the third quarter, the Bulldogs led 18-14 and held the ball at the BK 30-yard line — and then everything went south.

A 16-yard holding penalty pushed the Bulldogs out of striking distance, then a blocked punt swung the momentum back into Bishop Kelly's favor. From there, Jake Wylie capped a 10-play drive with his 5-yard TD plunge, giving the Knights a 21-18 lead.

That would be all they needed.

The Knights stalled Nampa's ensuing drive by forcing three consecutive incompletions, taking over on downs. And on the first play of their ensuing drive, Sato rumbled 49 yards into the end zone, sealing the victory, and the 4A SIC crown.

"When momentum swings, sometimes it really swings," Nampa coach Scott Wooldridge said. "We did what we set out to do. We just came up short in the end.

"We had our moments."

Big-play moments, to be specific.

At the end of the first half, Bostrom scored on a 52-yard screen pass from quarterback Hayden Wright — capped by a somersault across the goal line. That pulled Nampa into a 14-12 deficit. The Bulldogs took the lead on their second-half opening drive, when Wright connected with Josh Seward on fourth-and-goal from the 6-yard line.

But both of those aforementioned touchdowns were followed with missed two-point conversions. Couple that with a missed extra point, blocked punt, turnover on downs and fumble, and the Bulldogs (5-2, 4-2 4A SIC) eliminated their chances of earning a three-way tie for first place. 

"We had some issues," Wooldridge said. "We'll figure out what we have to do to shore that up, and get it fixed."

Intriguing weekend lies ahead

The Bulldogs' loss coupled with Skyview and Columbia victories creates an intriguing final weekend in the 4A SIC.

Skyview (4-2 SIC) hosts Middleton (5-1 4A SIC); Nampa (4-2 4A SIC) hosts Columbia (3-3 4A SIC). Both games are at 7 p.m. Friday.

"We gotta beat Columbia," Wooldridge said. "That No. 3 spot is what everybody's battling for come Friday."