Round 2 of the postseason features powerhouse teams and upset-minded opponents

EASTERN IDAHO – We’re headed to the second week of football state playoffs.

Here’s a first look at the matchups with games being played Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and for the fair-weather folks, there are even games at the ICCU Dome in Pocatello.

6A

Mountain View at Rigby, Friday, 7 p.m.

East No. 1 seed Rigby comes off a bye week while Mountain View, the No. 4 seed in the west, had little in a 45-7 win over Highland.

Rigby (8-1) has averaged nearly 42 points per game since its loss to Bishop Kelly on Sept. 12.

Mountain View (7-3) finished second in the 6A Southern Idaho Conference: River Division.

Madison at Coeur d’Alene, Friday, 7 p.m.

Madison had a solid 17-14 win over Boise and now heads north to face North No. 1 Coeur d’Alene (6-3).

The Bobcats (7-3) have won five of their past six games with the only loss coming against Rigby.

5A

Lakeland at Hillcrest, Friday, 7 p.m.

Top-seeded Hillcrest took out conference foe Shelley 40-15 and now hosts No. 9 seed Lakeland.

Hillcrest (9-1) has put up 104 points in its past two games since its lone loss at Rigby.

Lakeland (9-1) comes off a 28-27 overtime win over Lewiston to advance.

Century at Twin Falls, Friday, 7 p.m.

The Diamondbacks (9-0) are one of the most impressive stories among east Idaho teams.

Century finished 0-8 each of the past two seasons and was just 3-29 over the previous four years before this breakout season.

Twin Falls (8-2) won the Great Basin Conference and features one of the top defenses in 5A, surrendering just 12.50 points per game.

Blackfoot at Bishop Kelly, Friday, 7p.m.

The Broncos (7-3) may have been overshadowed by Hillcrest and Skyline in the High Country Conference, but a third-place finish and then a first-round win over Vallivue runs Blackfoot’s win streak to four games entering the matchup at Bishop Kelly.

Bishop Kelly (10-0), seeded No. 2 behind defending champion Hillcrest, has rolled through opponents by an average of 30 points per game. They already have a win over 6A power Rigby on their resume.

Skyline vs. Sandpoint, at the ICCU Dome, Friday, 5:30 p.m.

The Grizzlies (8-2) have been nearly unbeatable in the dome in recent playoff runs and hope to use its ‘homefield advantage’ against a good Sandpoint team.

Skyline beat conference foe Bonneville last week to open the playoffs and averaged nearly 45 points in back-to-back wins over the Bees.

Sandpoint (8-2) beat Minico 28-24 in its playoff opener last week, but has given up nearly 30 points per game this season.

4A

American Falls at Kimberly, Friday 7 p.m.

No. 5 American Falls held off Bonners Ferry 28-21 last week in its playoff opener. Kimberly, as the No. 4 seed, had a bye last week.

American Falls (8-2) finished second to Snake River in the South East Idaho Conference and brings in the top defense in 4A at 12.10 points.

Kimberly (6-3) the Sawtooth Central Idaho Conference champion, averages 33 points per game.

Sugar-Salem vs. Snake River, at the ICCU Dome, Thursday, 8:15 p.m.

Perennial power Sugar-Salem opens its title defense against the Panthers after a bye week.

The Diggers are seeded No. 2 behind Fruitland, but have been as driven as ever, winning four straight games after a road loss at Star Valley (Wy).

Snake River (6-4) lost to Sugar-Salem 37-7 in the second week of the season, but has finished strong after losing its first three games of the year to win the South East Idaho Conference.

3A

Ririe vs. New Plymouth, at the ICCU Dome, Thursday, 5:30 p.m.

The Bulldogs (9-0) finished off their first undefeated season in school history and take the No. 1 seed and bye into the postseason.

Ririe takes on No. 8 New Plymouth (7-3), which finished second in the Western Idaho Conference behind Nampa Christian.

The Bulldogs have pounded opponents with their run game and won by nearly 31 points per game.

New Plymouth comes off a big win over a good Declo team in last week’s playoff opener.

Aberdeen at Priest River, Saturday, 1 p.m.

The Tigers (6-3) finished third in the South East Idaho Conference and beat Melba 28-6 last week.

Priest River (5-4) is the No. 4 seed and had a bye last week after winning the Central Idaho League.

Priest River struggled in the middle of the season, but has won three straight heading into the postseason.

West Jefferson at West Side, Friday, 6 p.m.

Another east Idaho matchup as West Side looks to repeat as champion in the state’s most competitive classification.

The Pirates are the No. 2 seed and had a bye last week.

West Jefferson, seeded No. 7 after beating Malad 21-20 last week in a battle of at-large team, finished third in the Nuclear Conference behind Ririe and North Fremont.

North Fremont at Nampa Christian, Friday, 7 p.m.

North Fremont was the at-large No. 1 team and handled Firth 54-0 in its playoff opener.

The Huskies are seeded No. 3 for the second round and head to No. 6 Nampa Christian.

Like most 3A teams in the playoffs, the Huskies will run the ball and challenge opposing defenses to stop them.

In what could be a defensive battle, Nampa Christian gives up 15.75 points per game, but North Fremont is even better, surrendering just 9.20 points per game.

2A

Grace vs. Prairie, at the ICCU Dome, Friday, 8:15 p.m.

Grace (8-1) is the No. 4 seed and had a bye last week. The 8-man playoff games in the dome are always entertaining.

The Grizzlies put up 57 points in their final regular-season game against Butte County and the team’s only loss was at Adrian, Oregon.

Prairie rebounded from a tough 78-8 loss to state No. 1 Kendrick in its regular-season finale to hold off Valley 50-44 in last week’s playoff opener.