CLASS 5A

East #2 Rigby (9-2) @ West #3 Rocky Mountain (10-1)

7 p.m. Friday

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In a weekend where we saw a lot of chalk (higher-seeded teams beating lower-seeded opponents), the 5A bracket provided a few "upsets." Well, that is if you consider a perennial powerhouse team traveling halfway across the state to pummel a No. 1 seed with a worse record an upset, of course.

So, Rocky Mountain beating Post Falls 22-0 and Rigby taking down Eagle 37-6 were not traditional "upsets," but the two victories do set up a thrilling 5A semifinal matchup between the Grizzlies and Trojans.

Rocky Mountain and defending champion Rigby have both been ranked as top-five teams in the classification all season, yet both shockingly failed to win their respective conference titles.

The Grizzlies lost 14-12 to Meridian (their only defeat of the season), which relegated them to the SIC's third seed and the Trojans fell 43-42 on the road against Highland, causing them to snag the No. 2 seed from District 5-6.

But now, thanks to back-to-back playoff victories for both squads, Rocky Mountain and Rigby will do battle for the first time since the 2020 5A State Championship Game that the Grizzlies won 17-14 to cap off an undefeated season.

Intriguingly, the Trojans went into that 2020 matchup with Rocky Mountain as the defending state champions at the time, and that contest was also the last time Rigby lost a playoff game.

With a trip back to the 5A finals on the line and a history of epic playoff showdowns, this semifinal matchup could be one of the best games of the weekend.

Whoever pulls off the win will advance for a championship clash next weekend against either undefeated Meridian or upstart Mountain View.

West #5 Mountain View (7-4) @ West #1A Meridian (10-0)

7 p.m. Friday

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While Rocky and Rigby have each won 5A state titles in recent years, it has been a little while since fellow semifinalists Mountain View (2016) and Meridian (2007) lofted a championship trophy.

This week, the Mavericks and Warriors find themselves one step away from earning a shot to end those streaks. The two teams have taken very different paths this season to reach this place, however.

Last year, Mountain View looked a lot like the 2022 Meridian Warriors during the regular season, boasting a stout defense and an offense that could put up gaudy numbers. The Mavericks coasted into the 2021 state playoffs with an undefeated record before being trounced by…guess who? An underdog Meridian team that went on to make a semifinal run.

Now, in 2022, the tables have turned, and it's Mountain View — who finished a measly 5-4 in the regular season — that is on a Cinderella postseason run and facing off against a daunting undefeated Meridian squad.

After struggling at times against the SIC's best teams in the regular season, the Mavericks, led by first-year Head Coach Brian Compton, have found their stride over the past two weeks, whacking Nampa 44-0 in the first round and upsetting East No. 1 seed Highland 30-24 at Holt Arena last Friday.

Friday night, Mountain View will head back to Meridian — the place it opened the season back on Aug. 26 with a 13-7 loss — for the biggest game of the season against the 10-0 Warriors. The last time Meridian lost a game was the 2021 5A semifinals, where they fell 55-49 in overtime against the eventual state champion Rigby, and the Warriors are determined to get over the hump this time around.

Head Coach John Zamberlin's squad struggled a bit last week in their quarterfinal contest, however. The Warriors committed three turnovers and racked up nine penalties, but still managed to slog their way to an 18-6 win over Middleton.

Meridian, who only allowed six points a game this season, has the defense to carry the team to a state championship but the Warriors will need their offense to come alive if they hope to pull off two more wins and finish what they started this season.

The Mountain View-Meridian winner will play either Rocky Mountain or Rigby next week in the 2022 5A State Championship Game.

CLASS 4A

#4 Minico (10-1) @ #1 Bishop Kelly (11-0)

7 p.m. Friday

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The top four seeds all advanced to the semifinals in the 4A ranks, setting up a couple of interesting matchups this weekend. The first of those matchups will come Friday night when the Minico Spartans travel to Boise for a showdown with the undefeated and No. 1-seeded Bishop Kelly Knights.

After completing a perfect regular season in 2021 only to bow out in the first round of the playoffs, the Spartans have shown a lot of resolve over the past two weeks, proving that they have what it takes to compete against the best teams 4A has to offer.

Minico exacted revenge against Vallivue in round one, winning 20-14 in overtime, and then took down a strong Blackfoot team 28-13 last week to earn a semifinal appearance for the first time since the Spartans' runner-up finish in 2017.

Led by senior running back Jafeth Bendele, who scored twice in last week's quarterfinal win, and a defense that has allowed less than 12 points per game, Minico has the pieces to compete against a Bishop Kelly squad that has looked like a juggernaut this season.

The Knights got some revenge of their own last Friday, pounding the team that knocked them out of the 2021 playoffs, Pocatello, by a score of 28-7.

To understand just how dominant Bishop Kelly has looked this season, get this: that 21-point win was the Knights closest game all season and their 28 points scored was the lowest output they have had in a game all season. The Knights are that good.

In year No. 27 at the helm for Bishop Kelly, Tim Brennan is now two wins away from his fifth state championship with the Knights, but his first since winning it all three years in a row from 2013-2015.

The Knights — who allow just 9 points per game while scoring 45 per contest — have looked like 4A's best team all season, but to prove that they will have a tough task against Minico before they can advance for a potential championship matchup with either Skyline or Sandpoint.

#3 Sandpoint (6-3) vs. #2 Skyline (8-3) at Holt Arena

5:30 p.m. Saturday (Mountain Time)

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For the third year in a row, Sandpoint and Skyline will clash in the late rounds of the 4A state playoffs.

In 2020, the Bulldogs turned a lot of heads with an exciting run to the semifinals before being shutout 20-0 by the No. 1-seeded Grizzlies (who went on to win the state championship). Then, last season, Sandpoint was the No. 1 seed and battled its way to the finals, where the Bulldogs once again fell to Skyline, this time 20-6.

Now, the rivalry will be renewed for a third straight season when the Bulldogs make their way down to Holt Arena for a must-watch semifinal contest. Both Sandpoint and Skyline had a few hiccups during the regular season, but the Bulldogs and Grizzlies have found their stride down the stretch, plowing their way through the first two rounds of the playoffs.

Sandpoint has amassed an incredible 810 rushing yards over the past two weeks, soaring past Skyview 63-35 and stomping Shelley 49-14.

Similarly, Skyline has been lighting it up recently, as they beat down Bonneville 42-0 in the opening round and trucked Twin Falls 43-21 last week. The Grizzlies have been efficient on offense over the past few weeks and their defense seems to be playing at the highest level it has all season.

All this adds up for what should be an entertaining semifinal showdown in Pocatello.

Skyline is hoping for a three-peat as 4A champions while Sandpoint is looking to win its first state title since 1997.

Whoever takes care of business Saturday will play either Minico or Bishop Kelly for the 4A crown next weekend.

CLASS 3A

#4 Teton (8-2) vs. #1 Sugar-Salem (9-0) @ Holt Arena

4 p.m. Saturday

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Both 3A semifinal contests this weekend feature rematches between conference rivals.

As part of an extensive slate of games being played at Idaho State's Holt Arena, the No. 4 Teton Timberwolves and No. 1 Sugar-Salem Diggers will take the field Saturday afternoon with a trip to the 3A State Championship Game on the line.

Teton enters Saturday's showdown after picking up home wins over Marsh Valley and Buhl in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Since sputtering at the end of the regular season, the Timberwolves offense found its footing over the past two weeks, tallying 56 and 53 points, respectively, in the two wins.

But, as Teton found out back on Oct. 14 in a 56-6 loss to the Diggers, Sugar-Salem is a completely different animal.

Much like No. 1 Bishop Kelly at the 4A level, the Diggers have looked completely dominant this season.

Sugar-Salem's closest game this season came in a 28-9 win over Utah's Layton Christian — a school that is playing in their classification's state championship game this Friday. Aside from that contest, the Diggers have smacked opponents by 27 or more points in every game this season while scoring 49 points per game.

This David-versus-Goliath semifinal game will be a battle of youth against pedigree.

Teton finished 1-7 last season and has a young core of talent that first-year Head Coach David Joyce has shaped into a semifinal team for the first time in more than 20 years. Sugar-Salem, on the other hand, is a failed two-point conversion in the second overtime of last season's 3A title game from boasting a state championship four-peat.

The Diggers won the 3A title in 2018, 2019, and 2020, and they look like the favorite to vie for a championship once again this year. Whoever wins this rematch game will advance for a battle with either Homedale or Weiser next week.

#3 Weiser (10-1) @ #2 Homedale (9-1)

1 p.m. Saturday

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In what could be the biggest game of the weekend, Snake River Valley (SRV) Conference foes Weiser and Homedale will play for a trip back to the 3A title game.

Despite losing to Homedale 21-7 back on Oct. 7 in the de facto SRV championship game and missing out on a first-round bye, the defending 3A champion Wolverines took care of business at home over the past two weeks against two talented Intermountain League opponents.

First, Weiser took down Timberlake 34-27 in the first round, then the Wolverines bested an undefeated Bonners Ferry squad 35-25 to earn a spot in the 3A semifinals for the second year in a row.

Homedale's only loss this season came on the road against 4A semifinalist Sandpoint, as the Trojans went on to win the SRV and grab a first-round bye for the fifth straight season. Last week, the Trojans dominated a strong South Fremont team 42-13 at home.

Including the playoffs, Homedale has won 25 straight SRV contests dating back to 2017. The last time the Wolverines defeated the Trojans was Sept. 23, 2016.

But Weiser does have something that has continued to allude 14-year Trojans Head Coach and his Homedale program: a 3A state title.

Homedale has probably been the second best 3A football program in the state since 2018, but the Trojans have come up short of a championship each year, losing to Sugar-Salem three straight years in the state finals and then falling to the Diggers again last season in the semifinals.

While Weiser is fighting to defend its 3A title, Homedale is arguably the hungriest team in the state, and the Trojans are not ready to accept anything less than a championship, which would be the program's first since 1997.

One of these SRV squads will move on for a likely showdown with Sugar-Salem next weekend.

CLASS 2A

#5 West Side (9-1) vs. #1 Bear Lake (8-1) at Holt Arena

1:30 p.m. Saturday

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Continuing the theme of conference rivals facing off, South East Idaho Conference's (SEIC) No. 1 and 2 teams West Side and Bear Lake will do battle Saturday afternoon at Holt Arena in a rematch of the 2021 2A semifinals.

The Pirates won that contest 47-8 over the Bears and would go on to win their third straight state title.

This year, however, things went down differently when West Side traveled to Bear Lake Sept. 23. The Bears won a back-and-forth affair 28-27 and claimed the SEIC crown for the first time since 2016.

Entering the playoffs as 2A's No. 1 overall seed, Bear Lake got a bye in the first round before knocking off Kellogg 46-20 last week in the quarterfinals.

West Side, meanwhile, had to play a first-round play-in game two weeks ago, which hey won 61-14 over Cole Valley Christian. The Pirates followed up that performance with a convincing 31-10 drubbing of No. 4 Declo last Saturday.

Now, despite losing 15 graduates from last season's championship team, including seven three-year starters, the Pirates, led by a young nucleus of players, find themselves on the precipice of a monumental feat — winning four straight state championships.

Of course, 13-year Head Coach Tyson Moser and his squad are not worried about the state finals yet because they first have a tall order against a deep and experienced Bear Lake team.

Whoever wins this SEIC rematch will either play fellow conference opponent Aberdeen or 2A Nuclear Conference champion Firth next week for the state title.

#6 Aberdeen (7-3) vs. #2 Firth (7-2) at Holt Arena

6:30 p.m. Saturday

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The Aberdeen Tigers finished in third place in the loaded SEIC, but after pummeling St. Maries and upsetting third-ranked Melba over the past two weeks, they now have a chance to play for a trip to the 2A State Championship Game.

The Tigers only problem: Firth has won six straight games and seems to be peaking at the right time after a 33-0 beatdown of North Fremont last weekend.

Intriguingly, both Aberdeen and Firth are led by first-year head coaches that have made immediate impacts on their respective programs.

In his first ever season as a head coach at the varsity level, Braden Driscoll has turned a 3-6 Tigers squad from last season into a semifinalist in 2022.

Rigo Vasquez, meanwhile, spent three seasons as Firth's defensive coordinator before taking the head job this season, and the on-field results have reflected his expertise.

The Cougars, which finished as the 2A runner-up each of the past two seasons, have one of the state's stingiest defenses once again this year, holding opponents to less than eight points per game.

Firth lost its first and third games of the season to West Side and Bear Lake, but the Cougars have not been defeated since, and defense has been a big part of the reason why.

A Firth victory would give Vasquez and the Cougars a shot to redeem their results from the past two seasons and take home a state championship for the first time since 2006, while another Aberdeen upset would allow the Tigers to continue their Cinderella run and compete for the program's first ever state title.

A daunting test against the Bear Lake-West Side winner looms for either the Tigers or Cougars.

CLASS 1AD1

#5 Carey (8-2) vs. #1 Oakley (8-1) at Holt Arena

6 p.m. Thursday

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In their first season in the 1AD1 classification, the Carey Panthers have shown that they have what it takes to compete with the best 8-man football teams in the state of Idaho. Now, in the state semifinals, the Panthers will play the team that has proved itself to be the cream of the crop, as they travel to Holt Arena for a showdown with two-time defending champion Oakley.

After opening the season with a 7-0 shutout loss to fellow 1AD1 semifinalist Grace, Carey bounced back to win eight of their last nine games, most of which came in blowout fashion. The only blemish in that stretch: a 42-36 loss to the Hornets.

Playing in one of the strongest conferences in 8-man football — the 1AD1 Snake River Conference — the Panthers not only held their own, but nearly took down an Oakley squad that only lost this season to defending 1AD2 champion Kendrick.

Despite finishing the regular season 6-2 and only losing one conference game, Carey had to host a play-in game two weeks ago — crushing Idaho City 70-6 — before hitting the road last week to face Western Idaho Conference champion Notus. The Panthers popped the Pirates 48-16 to earn another semifinal appearance in 2022.

Last season, Carey had an undefeated regular season and made it all the way to the 1AD2 State Championship Game before falling to Kendrick 30-24. The Panthers will face a tough task this week, however, if they would like to have another shot at their first state title since 2017.

Oakley has looked dominant once again this season after polishing off a second straight state championship in 2021.

The Hornets boast 1AD1's third best scoring offense at 52 points per game, and they will need every bit of that firepower if they hope to hold off a talented Carey squad this week.

Thursday's winner will get a long week to prepare for their state championship bout with either Kamiah or Grace.

#3 Kamiah (9-1) vs. #2 Grace (8-1) at Holt Arena

11 a.m. Saturday (Mountain Time)

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After living in perennial 1AD1 powerhouse Prairie's shadow for years, 2022 has been a coming out party for the Kamiah Kubs, who now find themselves with an exciting semifinal matchup against Grace and trip to the state championship game on the line.

The Kubs lost their second game of the season to Raft River at home but have not lost since, buzz sawing their way through the deep 1AD1 Whitepine League and hanging on last week for a dramatic 16-12 quarterfinal win over Butte County.

Now, Kamiah and seventh-year Head Coach Nels Kludt set their sights on a matchup against another talented 1AD1 High Desert Conference (HDC) foe in the Grace Grizzlies.

Like Kamiah, Grace had an early season loss — falling 8-0 at 1AD2 semifinalist Castleford — but quickly righted the ship and have since won six consecutive games, including a thrilling 32-26 victory over Butte County to lock up the HDC title, and a 56-26 quarterfinal win over Raft River.

The Kubs and Grizzlies have similar resumes and are nearly identical based on statistics. Both teams play good defense and can hang 40+ points on a given night.

One of the biggest factors that could play to Grace's advantage is travel distance. As the No. 2 seed and de facto home team, the Grizzlies will travel less than an hour to get to Holt Arena, while the Kubs will have to make the nearly eight-hour trek down to Pocatello from Kamiah.

Whoever pulls out the win Saturday will have to immediately begin preparing for a huge 1AD1 State Championship Game against either Carey or Oakley next weekend.

CLASS 1AD2

4B Castleford (9-1) vs. 2A Kendrick (10-0) at Lewiston High School

4 p.m. Saturday (Pacific Time)

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In the only state semifinal game being played in North Idaho this weekend, fans will be treated to the proverbial clash of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. Those terms are fair ways to describe Kendrick's offense (and defense, for that matter) and Castleford's stingy defense.

This game will be a rematch of the 2021 1AD2 semifinal battle that Kendrick won 46-30 en route to the state title.

To get to this year's semifinals, 1AD2 Sawtooth Conference runner-up Castleford — whose only loss of the season came against undefeated Dietrich by a score of 26-20 — had to travel 600 miles to take down Clark Fork in the opening round and then drive another 250 miles last Friday to Council, where the Wolves battled through snow and driving rain to pull off an incredible 6-0 shutout win.

Now, the road warrior Wolves will get back on a bus and drive more than 400 miles up to Lewiston Saturday for a clash with the best 8-man team in the state this season.

If Castleford pulls this thing off, they need to make a movie about this team.

Head Coach Brian Lowry's squad has shown a ton of fight throughout this season, especially on the defensive side. In a sport where allowing 30 or more points is the norm, the Wolves gave up less than seven per game.

But then again, Castleford has not played Kendrick.

It is hard to put into words just how dominant the 10-0 Tigers have been this season, so just read these case studies that will hopefully paint the picture:

• Coming off a 1AD2 state championship, Head Coach Zane Hobart lost only one player to graduation after last season and returned four All-State selections from a year ago.

• In Week 2, the Tigers took down two-time defending champion Oakley 52-48. Since then, Kendrick has not needed to play its starters the entire game in any of their last eight contests.

• Not including a forfeit win over Timberline on Oct. 14, the Tigers have posted a whopping seven shutouts this season. The last time they allowed a point was Sept. 9 against Washington's Wilber-Creston-Keller (in a 74-6 win).

• Oh, and do not forget about that 104-0 win over 1AD1 Genesee back on Sept. 15 that received national attention.

So, yeah, Kenrick is REALLY good.

But if there is any team that can pull off the magic necessary to take down the juggernaut that is Kendrick, it just might be Castleford.

All of that will be settled in Lewiston Saturday afternoon, as either the Tigers or Wolves will move on to the 1AD2 State Championship Game next week to take on either Dietrich or Garden Valley.

3B Garden Valley (9-1) vs. 4A Dietrich (10-0) at Holt Arena

8:15 p.m. Friday

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Both Garden Valley and Dietrich have plowed their way through the first two rounds of the 1AD2 playoffs, and now they will play the late game Friday night at Holt Arena to see who will earn a spot in the championship round.

The Wolverines and Blue Devils have just one combined loss between them — Garden Valley's 50-30 defeat against 1AD2 Long Pin Conference champion Council — and both squads have outscored opponents this season by an average of more than 41 points.

Led by Head Coach Jason Yearsley, who is in his twelfth season at Garden Valley, the Wolverines surprised a lot of people with their dominant play this season. Garden Valley finished just 3-6 last year, but with All-conference performers Tacoma Kelly, Jaiden Hunt and Aaron Nokes all returning, Yearsley knew he had a talented crew this season.

Despite coming up short of a district title and therefore having to go on the road throughout the postseason, the Wolverines have not blinked, swatting Lewis County 47-8 in Craigmont two weeks ago and winning 36-6 at 1AD2 North Star League champion Mullan-St. Regis last Saturday.

Friday night's opponent, however, might be the toughest of the season for Garden Valley.

Dietrich has been the epitome of consistency at the 1AD2 level over the past decade and a half, and the Blue Devils have showed their pedigree once again in 2022. After winning the state title in 2020 and making it to the semifinals last season, the Blue Devils returned a solid core of players from those high-achieving teams, including second team All-State nominee Cody Power.

Powered by Power's offensive and defensive prowess, Dietrich has scored 57 points per game this season while allowing less than 11 per contest. The only close game the Blue Devils have played all season was that 26-20 win over Castleford back on Oct. 7.

Both teams will put their playoff lives on the line Friday night with the victor headed to the 1AD2 State Championship Game next week and the loser headed home.