WEEK 1

Kendrick vs. Butte County at Homedale HS (Friday, Aug. 22, 7 PM)

A state championship rematch right out of the chutes?  Yes please!  Kendrick steamrolled Butte County in the 2A title game last year, 50-14, but don’t forget, Pirates quarterback Keaton Archibald exited the contest early in the first quarter with a concussion.  We’ll never know how he would have impacted the game across four full quarters, but we do know that Archibald is back to pilot the Butte County offense in 2025.  Another intriguing subplot involves the coaches.  Butte County’s Sam Thorngren is the longest-tenured eight-man head coach in the state, embarking upon his 20th season as Pirates head coach.  Kendrick, meanwhile, is turning to 20-year-old Ty Koepp, who graduated from Kendrick in 2023.  Koepp is not only the youngest head coach in the country currently, but perhaps of all time.

WEEK 2

Butte County at Valley (Friday, Aug. 29, 7 PM)

Honestly, we could probably feature Butte County in the 2A space every single week.  The Pirates have scheduled incredibly aggressively, and after a neutral-site game with Kendrick, the Pirates will travel to Hazelton to face a Valley team that has been fueled by the sting of last year’s 56-52 loss to Hagerman in the 2A quarterfinals.  Valley held the lead late in that contest, but a fumble and subsequent touchdown by Hagerman with less than 20 seconds to play sealed their fate.  1,000 yard rusher Thomas Vargas returns for Valley, although dual-threat quarterback Josh Hardy will have to be replaced.

WEEK 3

Hagerman at Kendrick (Friday, Sept. 5, 7 PM)

Hagerman and Kendrick last met in the 2023 1A semifinals.  Now both are in their second season of 2A football, and each reached the semifinals in their maiden voyage a year ago.  Kendrick, of course, won the whole enchilada, and return junior quarterback Maddox Kirkland, along with top receivers Ralli Roetciscoender, Cade Silflow and Nathan Tweit.  Hagerman has a prolific passer of their own in senior Wyatt Mavencamp, who led all 8-man passers in total yardage a year ago.  Unlike Kirkland, though, Mavencamp will be working with nearly an entirely new group of receivers.

WEEK 4

Hagerman at Valley (Friday, Sept. 12, 7 PM)

Both fan bases have been waiting for a long time to rekindle this rivalry.  Valley won the regular season matchup, and the conference title, with a 56-40 win at Hagerman last year.  But in the 2A quarterfinals, Hagerman went to Valley’s home field in Hazelton and stunned the Vikings 56-52 with a late fumble recovery and game-winning touchdown with less than 20 seconds to play.  Can Hagerman pull the rabbit from their hat two times in a row?  Or will Valley defend their home field in a game that could decide the 2025 conference title?

WEEK 5

Prairie at Kamiah (Friday, Sept. 19, 7 PM)

You could make the case that five different members of the Whitepine League could finish atop the league standings in 2025.  Logos, Kendrick, Prairie, Kamiah and Potlatch are all strong, capable teams that return strong cores but also have holes to fill.  In Kamiah, All-State quarterback Dave Kludt has graduated, and his father, Nels Kludt, has retired as head coach.  New coach Garrett Bretz will move Lawson Landmark from wide receiver to quarterback in 2025.  Prairie’s veteran coach Ryan Hasselstrom, meanwhile, must figure out how to replace 1,000 yard rusher Dylan Uhlenkott.  Seniors Levi Gehring and Chris Schumacher could share that backfield role this year.

WEEK 6

Glenns Ferry at Raft River (Friday, Sept. 26, 7 PM)

The Snake River Conference has been Idaho’s most rigorous in eight-man football for the past couple of seasons.  Four of it’s six members qualified for the playoffs last year, including Glenns Ferry and Raft River.  The Pilots won last year’s battle, 32-8, although both teams made early exits from the postseason.  Valley and Hagerman are projected to be strong contenders once again, while Murtaugh and Oakley should be better after missing the playoffs in 2024.  Competition in the Snake River Conference figures to be fierce again, so every game will count.

WEEK 7

Logos vs. Butte County at Homedale HS (Saturday, Oct. 4, 4 PM)

These two met in Homedale for their season opener a year ago.  Butte County barely survived 36-24, so it will be interesting to see what a rematch that occurs a little later in the season looks like.  It should be noted that this is Butte County’s second neutral site game at Homedale High this year.

WEEK 8

Rimrock at Notus (Friday, Oct. 10, 7 PM)

The winner of this game could decide the Western Idaho Conference regular season title.  After years of Notus dominance, Rimrock wrested the crown away in 2024.  Notus limped through an injury-plagued campaign last year, while Rimrock quarterback/defensive back/kicker/punter/kick returner Ronaldo Gomez turned in one of Idaho’s greatest statistical seasons ever.  But Gomez is gone, Notus should be stronger, and both teams will be motivated to prove their worth in the WIC.

WEEK 9

Kendrick at Logos (Friday, Oct. 17, 7 PM)

Logos dispatched Kendrick in last year’s contest, 30-18.  The win gave the Knights the Whitepine League title, but Kendrick got payback in the playoffs.  The Tigers surged past Logos in the 2A semifinals 52-26 on their way to a fourth consecutive state championship.  Kendrick has more returning starters in 2025, as Logos was hit hard by graduation.  But Logos coach Nick Holloway is one of the best around, and his team will certainly be ready.

WEEK 10

Butte County at Grace (Friday, Oct. 24, 7 PM)

When you play in a two-team conference (like Butte County and Grace do), it’s easy to circle their lone matchup as the conference championship game.  After the Grizzlies nipped Butte County in 2022 by a score of 32-26, the Pirates have won two matchups in a row.  Playmakers like Butte County’s Keaton Archibald and Grace’s Gavin Draper are certainly familiar with one another, which adds to the excitement.