The regular season ends Friday. What’s at stake for the playoffs?
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EASTERN IDAHO – It’s the final regular-season week for high school football so it’s time to take a look at the postseason scenarios, some of which have already been decided and some still waiting for this week’s outcomes.
6A
Rigby clinched the 6A District 5-6 title with its win over Madison two weeks ago.
The Trojans also earned the top seed in the east and will have a bye in the first round of the playoffs and host in the second round.
The winner of Friday’s Madison at Highland game finishes second in the conference and will host a playoff game.
The loser still makes the playoffs as an at-large team but will open the postseason on the road.
Current MaxPreps 6A rankings:
1. Rigby
6. Madison
8. Highland
16. Thunder Ridge
5A
Defending state champion Hillcrest won the 5A High Country Conference title and comes off its first loss of the season to 6A state champion Rigby.
The Knights, who are No. 1 in the MaxPreps 5A rankings, will conclude the regular season Friday against Idaho Falls.
Perennial power Skyline is second in the conference and third in the rankings, earning an automatic bid.
Because the conference is so competitive, Blackfoot, Bonneville and Shelley are all within the top 15 in the state rankings.
Blackfoot, at No. 5, should be in, but Bonneville and Shelley will have to wait to see how the rest of the at-large bids play out.
Century can finish off a perfect regular season with a win over Pocatello and claim the 5A East Idaho Conference title and automatic state playoff berth.
A win by Pocatello would mean all three teams finish 1-1 and MaxPreps rankings come back into play. Century has the edge over both Pocatello and Preston.
Current MaxPreps 5A rankings:
1. Hillcrest
3. Skyline
5. Blackfoot
10. Century
13. Bonneville
15. Shelley
17. Preston
20. Pocatello
22. Idaho Falls
4A
Teton hosts Sugar-Salem on Friday. If the Diggers win they are the Mountain Rivers Conference champion and earn the lone state berth.
If Teton wins, then Sugar-Salem, Teton and South Fremont all finish 1-1 and the MaxPreps rankings determine the top berth, which would go to Sugar-Salem, which is ranked second.
Teton, at No. 10 in the rankings, could still get an at-large berth. South Fremont is No. 12 in the rankings but does not play this week.
In District 5, Snake River has claimed the 4A East Idaho Conference title and state berth with wins over American Falls and Bear Lake.
With seven at-large berths available, American Falls is in good shape to advance with a No. 8 MaxPreps ranking.
Current MaxPreps 4A rankings:
2. Sugar-Salem
7. Snake River
8. American Falls
10. Teton
12. South Fremont
16. Bear Lake
3A
Eastern Idaho has set the standard in 3A and that likely won’t change this season.
District 6 champion Ririe and District 5 champion West Side have clinched automatic berths to the state playoffs.
What’s left is a scramble for the eight at-large berths.
North Fremont and West Jefferson play for second place in the Nuclear Conference on Friday, which would impact the rankings.
Malad has a favorable MaxPreps ranking at No. 9.
Current MaxPreps 3A rankings:
1. West Side
2. Ririe
3. North Fremont
4. Aberdeen
5. West Jefferson
6. Declo
9. Malad
13. Soda Springs
14. Firth
20. Salmon
2A
Grace had a stellar season at 7-1, while Butte County, which has been in the state title game the past two seasons and won a championship in 2023, has struggled at 1-7.
None of that matters Friday when the two teams meet in the regular-season finale.
Because the High Desert Conference only has two teams, the winner of Friday’s matchup is the conference champ and earns the automatic bid to state.
An upset by the Pirates would send them back to the playoffs, but it wouldn’t end Grace’s season as the Grizzlies are ranked No. 5 overall in 8-man MaxPreps rankings and would get an at-large berth.
1A
East Idaho will likely only get one state berth and that will come from the Rocky Mountain Conference champion, which will be determined on Friday.
Rockland (4-0) is at North Gem (3-1) and Challis finished its regular season 4-1.
A win by Rockland earns the Bulldogs the conference title and automatic berth. A win by North Gem sets up a tie-breaker scenario between all three teams.
According to Idahosports.com:
“That tiebreaker is decided by calculating every team’s point differential against the other opponent. Unlike other tiebreakers, this system is uncapped, which means you could win by forty points and all forty points would count in your ledger.”
So how does everyone look?
CHALLIS: W over North Gem 36-20 (+16); L to Rockland 42-36 (-8); TOTAL (+8)
ROCKLAND: W over Challis 42-36 (+8); TOTAL (+8)
NORTH GEM: L to Challis 36-20 (-16); TOTAL (-16).
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