Preview: The Emotion Bowl rivalry has been one-sided. Does that change this year?

District 6 Game of the Week

Skyline vs. Idaho Falls, Ravsten Stadium
Saturday, 6 p.m.

IDAHO FALLS – So, do the goal posts at Ravsten Stadium get painted orange or blue this season?

The Emotion Bowl game between Idaho Falls and Skyline dates back to 1966, with the winner getting to paint the goal posts in the shared stadium in the color of the winning team.

Unfortunately for Idaho Falls, the goal posts have been Skyline blue 11 of the past 12 seasons.

Could that change this year?

The Tigers, who were 1-17 over the previous two seasons and hadn’t won a conference game since 2023, are off to a 2-3 start and already have a conference win over Pocatello.

Interestingly, perennial power Skyline enters the game with consecutive losses after getting shut out by 6A Madison a week ago.

The Grizzlies have scored six points in their past two games.

The good news for Skyline is that the Grizzlies opened the season with three straight conference wins, so they’re still tied atop the High Country Conference with Hillcrest at 3-0 despite the losses to Thunder Ridge and Madison.

Statistically, the Tigers and Grizzlies are similar in scoring average and scoring defense.

Grizzlies coach Scott Berger noted a high-scoring offense has always been part of the program’s success. Who doesn’t want to see a high-scoring game?

But they’ll have to find a way to get out of the current skid.

Idaho Falls gave up just seven points in a win over Teton and 18 points in the win over Pocatello.

It will be a challenge to hold down the Grizzlies, who averaged 32 points in their first three wins, but that will likely be a key to the game.

If the Skyline offense continues to struggle, then maybe Idaho Falls can turn the tide in the Emotion Bowl.

Tigers’ first-year head coach Dustin Medellin was a former defensive coordinator at Hillcrest and said before the season that the team’s defensive secondary could be a strength.

Skyline (3-2, 3-0) is No. 8 in this week’s 5A MaxPrep rankings, while Idaho Falls (2-3, 1-2) is 16th.