District tournament update: Preston tops Snake River on PKs for state play-in berth; Poky gets at-large bid

EASTERN IDAHO — With a win in the 4A District 5 second-place game Tuesday, Preston earned a spot in the state play-in round.

Despite losing to Skyline on Tuesday, Pocatello received an at-large bid and will also play in Saturday’s play-in round.

Poky and Preston joined a Girls’ Soccer State Championships field that already included the 6A district champion Highland Rams and 4A district champion Marsh Valley Eagles.

6A

Highland (12-5-1, 5-0-1) entered the 6A District 5-6 tournament as its No. 1 seed, and dominated its way through the tournament, beating No. 4 Thunder Ridge and No. 3 Rigby by a combined score of 12-0.

The Rams will look to improve on a consolation championship from last season when this year’s three-day state tournament begins on Oct. 22. All 6A girls’ game will be played at Bonneville High School.

5A

The No. 3 Pocatello Thunder (13-5-2, 10-3-1) suffered a pair of losses against No. 2 Skyline during the district tournament, including a 2-1 defeat in Tuesday’s 5A District 5-4 second-place game.

Pocatello, though, earned an at-large spot in the 5A tournament and will host Jerome in Saturday’s play-in round.

The Thunder join fellow play-in competitors Idaho Falls and state qualifiers Hillcrest and Skyline in the 5A field.

All 5A state games will be played at the Field of Dreams complex in Sandpoint.

4A

No. 3 Preston (12-5-2, 6-3-1) knocked off No. 2 Snake River (13-4-3, 7-2-1) in Tuesday’s 4A District 5 second-place game, outshooting the Panthers 3-2 in penalty kicks after finishing regulation and one overtime period in a 1-1 tie.

Preston joins district champions, No. 1 Marsh Valley (15-1-2, 10-0), in the state field, but will have to win a play-in game to earn a spot on the final-eight bracket. They will visit Sun Valley for Saturday’s play-in round.

All 4A state games will be played at Twin Falls High School.