State soccer roundup: 7 local teams claim hardware; Teton boys, Poky girls grab top prize

EASTERN IDAHO — Two championship banners are coming back to eastern Idaho, with the Teton Timberwolves claiming the ultimate prize for 4A boys and the Pocatello Thunder matching that feat for 5A girls.

But Poky and Teton weren’t the only District 5/6 teams to claim trophies Saturday.

Idaho Falls and Sugar-Salem boys, as well as the Skyline, Sugar-Salem and Marsh Valley girls, all snatched up trophies of their own.

Here is what happened on a busy soccer championship Saturday:

Pocatello back atop the girls’ 5A mountain

The Thunder were led all season by the senior duo of Brynlee Pool and Aryanna Gonzalez, and the co-captains took it upon themselves to make sure Pocatello won its second-ever state championship — both coming in the last three years.

Pool scored twice to help the Thunder beat conference foe Hillcrest in Friday’s semifinal.

Gonzalez, who is believed to be the first Poky girl to ever score 100 career goals, tallied her own brace Saturday, powering the Thunder to a 2-1 victory over the top-seeded Twin Falls Bruins.

Gonzalez’s first goal Saturday came in the first half, on a top-shelf shot from the center of the field, 25 yards out. Her second came with five seconds left in the second overtime to avoid penalty kicks.

The golden goal was assisted by Pocatello’s other senior captain, Camryn Tatom, and came from just inside the right hash and 40 yards out.

WATCH | The video of both goals here

Joining Pocatello on the girls’ 5A podium is Skyline, who beat Hillcrest 4-3 in the third-place game.

On the boys’ side of the 5A state tournament, Idaho Falls beat Wood River 2-0 in the third-place game.

Century was unable to join the group, falling 3-2 to Columbia in the boys’ consolation game.

Of the eight trophies up for grabs in the 5A classification — four boys and four girls — three will find a home on the east side of the state.

Teton boys top busy day of 4A soccer

The Timberwolves claimed their first state championship since 2016, beating conference rival Sugar-Salem 4-1 to reach the pinnacle.

RELATED | Timberwolves complete title run with dominant win over rival Diggers

Teton scored three times in the first half, including one from Jeronimo Solis with three seconds left before halftime, before defending the advantage in the second half.

The Timberwolves have now claimed a state trophy in each of their four years under head coach Kurt Mitchell.

Sugar-Salem secured a second-place trophy in defeat, the Diggers’ first trophy since winning the championship in 2023.

Marsh Valley falls just short of first championship

For the second year in a row, the Eagles fell one win shy of the first championship in program history. Marsh Valley surrendered Fruitland’s first and only goal in the 15th minute, losing 1-0.

RELATED | Marsh Valley finishes second, again, after losing 1-0 to Fruitland

The Sugar-Salem Diggers, who finished the last three seasons as a state champ, were kept out of the title game by the Eagles, who beat Sugar-Salem in Friday’s semifinal.

Instead of playing for another banner, the Diggers battled conference rival Teton in the third-place game and cruised to a 4-1 win.

While Sugar-Salem’s three-peat run has come to an end, the Diggers have now finished four straight seasons with a state trophy.