We are one week away from the start of the 2026 football season in Idaho, with plenty of dates to circle on the calendar.
To see the schedules for each of the 4A schools, follow this link and click your school.
We decided to highlight some of the 4A matchups that stood out to us on first glance.
Kimberly at Fruitland
Saturday, August 22 at 7 p.m.
WATCH ON IDAHOSPORTS.COM
There’s a clear-cut top four among 4A teams heading into 2026, and it’s the same top four from last year: Homedale, Kimberly, Fruitland and Sugar-Salem. Kimberly and Fruitland met twice last year. The Grizzlies won the season opener for both teams 49-13. But Kimberly was missing standout quarterback MaCraye Bruning in that one, and by the time the rematch arrived in the state semifinals he was back and firing on all cylinders as the Bulldogs exacted revenge with a 28-21 win. Bruning has since graduated, but Fruitland’s fourth-year starting quarterback Titus Vidlak returns fresh off of a commitment to Division I Montana State.
Sugar-Salem vs. Homedale (at Canyon Ridge)
Saturday, August 22 at 4 p.m.
WATCH ON IDAHOSPORTS.COM
Kimberly-Fruitland represents one semifinal rematch from last year, and now we have our second. After five consecutive defeats to Sugar-Salem (four in the semifinals, one in the state championship), Homedale finally got the monkey off its back with a 30-20 knockout of the Diggers. One week later, Homedale dispatched Kimberly for it’s 11th state championship in school history, and the first since 1997. Sugar-Salem tends to remember the losses long after they occur, so you can bet that coach Tyler Richins and company will be ready for their rematch.
Preston at Emmett
Friday, August 28 at 5 p.m.
The Indians and Huskies are both dropping down from Class 5A due to lower enrollment numbers, and they have immediately caught the attention of 4A coaches around the state. Emmett’s only state championship in football came at this level in 2015, and Preston immediately becomes one of the biggest programs in the classification. In previous years, this game could have been a #8 vs. #9 game in the opening round of the 5A playoffs. But in 4A football, this game has potential to be a rematch much further down the bracket line.
Snake River at Weiser
Friday, September 11 at 7 p.m.
WATCH ON IDAHOSPORTS.COM
Tom Harrison coached at Snake River for 15 years, from 1988 to 2002, and accumulated a record of 146-22, good for a winning percentage of .869. But I’m burying the lead here: eight of those 15 seasons ended with Snake River hoisting the first-place trophy. Snake River won five titles in a row from 1998 to 2002 and enjoyed seven championships over an eight-year stretch (from 1995 to 2002, the only year the Panthers didn’t win it all was 1997). When Harrison moved on to Pocatello High in 2003, I’m sure Panther fans never thought they would have to face him as an opponent. They even named the field at Snake River after him while he was still actively coaching elsewhere! But in 2018, Harrison was hired at Weiser. Despite residing in the same classification, Weiser and Snake River have only met one time during Harrison’s eight-year run with the Wolverines: a 21-0 shutout in the quarterfinals of the 2021 playoffs. Weiser went on to win the state championship two weeks later for the 11th title overall in Harrison’s career.
Homedale at Kimberly
Friday, September 11 at 7 p.m.
WATCH ON IDAHOSPORTS.COM
A state championship rematch. What more needs to be said? Alright, I’ll say more about it (I wouldn’t leave you hanging). The Trojans won a narrow 29-21 battle last year, and although both starting quarterbacks have departed, there’s plenty of talent returning on both sides. The matchups you’ll want to pay attention to: Homedale’s Alec Campos versus Kimberly’s Joe Barrett (both play wide receiver and defensive back), and the battle in the trenches (Homedale’s Symon Carrillo and Andrew Tibbett facing off against Kimberly’s Brandon Elizondo and Kaden Dille).
Kimberly at Sugar-Salem
Friday, September 18 at 7 p.m.
WATCH ON IDAHOSPORTS.COM
Kimberly returns to the scene of the crime. Two seasons ago, the Bulldogs marched into Sugar City and left with a 17-14 win thanks to a field goal from Eddy Paz as time expired. Remember how I said earlier that Sugar-Salem tends to remember the losses for a long time? Well, the Diggers went to Kimberly last year and put the Bulldogs away early in a 35-14 romp. Now the ball is back in Kimberly’s court, and I can’t wait to see how they respond.
Fruitland at Emmett
Friday, September 25 at 7 p.m.
WATCH ON IDAHOSPORTS.COM
Emmett has been getting a lot of preseason buzz as they return to 4A football after a stretch of competing at the 5A level. Ryker Brennan returns to quarterback the offense, and he’ll have Idaho State commit Jax Banuelos to throw the ball to. By this point in the season, we’ll have a better idea of how Emmett is readjusting to the 4A scene, but taking on Fruitland will require an entirely different level of play.
Preston at Sugar-Salem
Friday, September 25 at 7 p.m.
All of those things I just said about Emmett? Yeah, you can apply them to Preston as well. The Indians don’t have quite the same pedigree as the Huskies do (for example, Emmett routinely qualified for the playoffs as a 5A school, while Preston has only gotten there twice in the past six seasons). However, this game will promptly prove whether Preston is truly ready to hang with the big boys of 4A football, or if a longer adjustment period will be needed.
Fruitland at Homedale
Friday, October 2 at 7 p.m.
WATCH ON IDAHOSPORTS.COM
Fruitland is just 1-8 against Homedale in the last nine meetings between these rivals, but the Grizzlies own the most important win in that time: the last one. In 2025, Fruitland dispatched the Trojans 43-21 but stubbed their toe against Kimberly in the 4A semifinals, depriving the fans of a rematch in the state championship game. Homedale is the defending champion and probably deserves to be favored here, but I think the Trojans are the ones with more to prove.
Bonners Ferry at Moscow
Friday, October 9 at 7 p.m.
The Intermountain League championship will most likely be decided here. Bonners Ferry won the matchup last year, 41-26, but I’d like you to consider a couple of important notes. One: Keenan Maas carried the ball 29 times for the Badgers, rushing for 202 yards and two touchdowns. He has since graduated. Two: Moscow quarterback Wyatt Cross threw for 154 yards and four scores in the loss, and he was only a freshman. I think we’re in for a more competitive matchup this time around.
Preston at Snake River
Friday, October 9 at 7 p.m.
Could this game decide the regular season title in the South East Idaho Conference? I think American Falls will be better than people think, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the winner of this game emerged as the league champ. Did you know that these two have played each other 12 years in a row despite being in separate classifications the entire time? Snake River leads the 12-year series with seven wins to Preston’s five.
Emmett at Weiser
Friday, October 16 at 7 p.m.
WATCH ON IDAHOSPORTS.COM
In any other conference, a battle like this could easily be for a championship. But with Fruitland and Homedale lurking in the Snake River Conference, this matchup may be for third and fourth place. I think both squads will find their way into the playoffs, but I’m excited to see Emmett coach Rich Hargitt and Weiser coach Tom Harrison, two of the sharper football minds around, match wits in this one.