Hillcrest senior Damien Simmons hoists sophomore Elam Miner in the air after the running back scores a playoff touchdown in the Knights’ 40-15 victory over the Shelley Russets. | Photo courtesy Amy Ward EASTERN IDAHO — The first round of the Idaho High School Football State Championships was all about big plays and bigger scores. Skyline’s Zyan Crockett scored four touchdowns of 50-plus yards, while Century’s Justus Mangum nearly matched him with three scoring plays of 46-plus yards. Local teams weren’t on the positive side of every blowout, though. The Highland Rams saw their season come to an end in a 45-7 loss at Mountain View, and the Challis Vikings took a 38-8 beatdown from Garden Valley. As the dust continues to settle on round one — with three more games to be played Saturday — 17 local teams remain in the hunt for a blue trophy and championship banner. Six of those 17 squads — Rigby, Sugar-Salem, Ririe, West Side, North Fremont and Grace — had their feet up this week, having earned a first-round bye. The other 11 either play on Saturday or advance to round two with wins already under their belts. Here is a complete roundup of first-round action: 1A Challis defeated by Garden Valley in the play-in round, 38-8. The Vikings represented District 5-6’s lone 1A state berth. 2A No. 4 Grace will face No. 5 Prairie, who beat Valley 50-44. The Grizzlies (8-1) went 7-0 against in-state competition. 3A No. 1 Ririe will face the No. 8 seed after the bracket is re-seeded following this week’s play-in round. No. 2 West Side will face the No. 7 seed, and No. 3 North Fremont will take on the No. 6 seed. North Fremont defeated Firth, 54-0. The Huskies entered the playoffs as the top-seeded at-large bid, and will likely take the brackets No. 5 seed, which comes with a trip to No. 4 Priest River. Aberdeen faces Melba Saturday. The Tigers carry the No. 2 at-large bid. West Jefferson defeats Malad, 21-20. The No. 3 at-large bid West Jefferson Panthers will have to wait for the Aberdeen-Melba results to see where they will land in the second round. 4A No. 2 Sugar-Salem will face No. 7 Snake River in round two. No. 5 American Falls defeats No. 12 Bonners Ferry, 28-21. The Beavers will face No. 4 Kimberly on the road in round two. No. 7 Snake River defeats No. 10 Gooding, 34-21. The Panthers, who have won six of their last seven, will face the Diggers. The two teams have met once already this season, with Sugar-Salem winning 37-7. No. 11 Teton faces No. 6 Weiser Saturday. 5A No. 1 Hillcrest defeats No. 16 Shelley, 49-15. The Knights will host No. 9 Lakeland in the second round. No. 5 Century defeats No. 12 Columbia, 49-21. The Diamondbacks will travel to take on No. 4 Twin Falls next week. No. 10 Blackfoot defeats No. 7 Vallivue, 24-13. The Broncos will be on the road next week, taking on No. 2 Bishop Kelly. No. 3 Skyline defeats No. 14 Bonneville, 42-21. The Grizz will host No. 11 Sandpoint next week, likely at the ICCU Dome. 6A Rigby will host Mountain View in round two. Mountain View defeats Highland, 45-7. The Rams entered the tournament as the No. 10 at-large bid and have now been eliminated in the first round in back-to-back seasons following their 2023 state championship run. Madison defeats Boise, 17-14. The Bobcats, who entered the postseason with a No. 2 play-in seeding, will face north champ Coeur d’Alene next week.The post FOOTBALL ROUNDUP: Which local teams are out, which move on appeared first on East Idaho News.
Source: eastidahonews.com