Morel caps high school career with final massive performance, leading Rigby to promised land

RIGBY — Rigby’s Amani Morel was one of the most dominant forces in the state this year. Despite being slowed by nagging injuries to his ankle and shoulder, the senior carried the load all season for the Trojans.

And when the playoffs started, he took his already overpowering play to the next level.

Morel was, once again, the premier runner when Rigby rushed for more than 200 yards in a 42-28 quarterfinal victory over Mountain View. He stacked up 165 yards and six touchdowns when the Trojans dropped Rocky Mountain in the semis.

On Saturday, in the final game of what has been an incredible high school career, Morel overcame more bumps and bruises to rush for 142 yards and two more scores.

“He’s the state player of the year. No doubt,” Rigby head coach Armando Gonzalez said of Morel after the 6A championship game. “He didn’t even play in all the games — he overcame injuries, and he dominated in the playoffs. There’s no better kid in the state.”

Morel finishes his high school career a three-time champion — once as a freshman at Skyline High School in 2022, then twice as a junior and senior at Rigby. He has also been among the top individual performers each of the last two seasons.

But this year, Gonzalez said, he showed much more than the physical gifts.

The longtime time Trojan coach said that, several times throughout the season, things looked “bleak” for Morel, adding that he wasn’t sure if the big back would be able to suit up for games. But week after week, he gritted through those injuries to not just play, to be as difficult to tackles as always.

He did that in the championship game against Timberline, averaging 7.47 yards per carry and adding 20 receiving yards on two catches. Even after that injured ankle took another shot, forcing Morel to limp from the fray in the third, he returned to action in the fourth to help his team bleed the clock — well after his two first-half touchdowns served as the game’s only scoring at halftime.

The three-time East Idaho Sports Game Ball recipient has not yet announced a college commitment.