Sugar-Salem football’s three-year win streak snapped

SUGAR CITY (KIFI) - What's it like to lose when you've never lost before?

A dark cloud hangs over the Sugar-Salem Diggers as they practice. They're still the 4A state title favorites. But just a month ago - a week ago, even - they had serious bragging rights.

“I actually have not lost a football game in my high school career,” running back Dawson McInelly admitted back in August.

That's no longer the case. The Star Valley Braves defeated the Diggers 27-21 on Friday, ending a winning streak dating back to 2021. Until then, they were one of just 20 teams in the United States to stay undefeated for over three years.

“Star Valley is a great team," said Sugar-Salem head coach Tyler Richins. "They’re back-to-back state champions in the State of Wyoming."

That's the caliber of team it took for Idaho's back-to-back champs to finally fall. Richins declined to use the term "grudge match," but Star Valley's last loss came over a year ago - to Sugar-Salem.

“It’s everyone’s state championship to beat Sugar-Salem," Richins asserted. "We're gonna get everybody's best."

Sugar-Salem's skipper admitted he doesn't take losing well. He said he hates losing even more than he loves winning.

"Every time we set foot on a football field, we expect to win," Richins explained. "It doesn’t matter who the opponent is. But we knew that we were gonna get tested Friday night, and we got tested.”

Back in August, Richins said he fears losing because he fears letting people down. Local News 8 asked if he felt he let anyone down Friday.

“Yeah, of course," he said. "The stands were packed. Sold-out crowd. Standing room only.”

“There might be some that say, ‘Oh, you didn’t let anybody down,'" Richins continued. "'That was a great game.’ Well, y’know, that’s what drives me.”

"I’ve watched the game over and over and over again," he added, "trying to find out where we can improve, how we can get better, and adjustments that we need to make.”

The game itself came down to the wire. Tied at 21 each, a poorly-placed punt and a pass interference call put Star Valley on the opposing 25-yard line with just seconds left.

“Kid catches the ball, makes a nice catch, touchdown, they win," Richins said, gesturing to footage of the winning play.

The coach then used his cursor to circle Star Valley's ecstatic sideline celebration.

"This is what beating Sugar-Salem looks like," he added.

“I think there was just silence," Richins recalled. "It was just like, ‘Oh my gosh. We just got beat.’”

The clouds hanging over practice, though, had silver linings. With the win streak snapped, there's a lot less pressure.

“It’s over," Richins said. "We lost. It’s done. Move on."

"Let’s go start another streak," he added with a laugh. "I don’t know. It’s never been about that for me.”

For Richins, it's about turning high schoolers into young men. The game tape gave him a lot to like.

“I never felt like we quit," he explained. "I never felt like we gave up. I never saw it in their eyes.”

“There’s a lot that, as a coach, you can build on when you have that ingrained in your kids," he added.

Richins said the team doesn't have to win 'em all. He's only concerned with winning the big one.

“Whether you win a state championship and you’re .500, or you win a state championship and you’re undefeated, you get the same trophy at the end," he said. "So our goal is always November.”