State championships on the line for Rigby, Hillcrest and Ririe

Ririe’s Kolter Lewis has been a force on the ground in helping lead the Bulldogs to their first state championship game. | EastIdahoSports.com. EASTERN IDAHO – It’s time to break out the “We are the champions” music. Football state titles will be decided this weekend (and Monday), with three area teams competing for the coveted blue trophies. This year’s championship round has a bit of a different look with perennial powers Sugar-Salem and West Side, as well as recent two-time finalist Butte County, not making it to the final weekend. Who did make it? That would be defending 6A champion Rigby and defending 5A champion Hillcrest. Who else? Welcome Ririe to its first state championship game after the Bulldogs survived the state’s most competitive 3A classification. Here are a few storylines to watch as the Trojans, Knights and Bulldogs battle for state supremacy. 6A: Rigby vs. Timberline, Saturday at the ICCU Dome, 4 p.m. Is Rigby an underdog? That’s probably not the case, as the Trojans have won four state titles since 2019 and look to repeat. As usual, the Trojans (10-1) had to get through conference play with wins over Highland and Madison, chalked up a nonconference win against Coeur d’Alene, and then had to beat nemesis Rocky Mountain in last week’s semifinal. That’s a pretty good resume. But Timberline (10-1) has arguably been flying under the radar, at least to east Idaho watchers, who are used to seeing Eagle, Rocky Mountain or Coeur d’Alene on the 6A playoff schedule. The Rigby Trojans take the field before their annual showdown with the rival Madison Bobcats on Oct. 10 this year. | Allan Steele, EastIdahoSports.com. Meanwhile, it’s Timberline who has knocked off Eagle, Rocky Mountain, Coeur d’Alene, and avenged its only loss to a good Middleton team to advance to the championship game. It will be Timberline’s first title game appearance, but the Wolves have thrived despite a season-ending injury to their starting quarterback, and have played a tough enough schedule that Rigby’s talent and experience likely won’t shake them. 5A: Bishop Kelly vs. Hillcrest, Monday at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, 7 p.m. It’s championship football on the blue turf. On a Monday. Hillcrest is in its third straight championship game and looks for a repeat state title. Bishop Kelly (12-0) has always been a powerhouse, but this year it enters the championship game unbeaten and with a big win over 6A power Rigby. Bishop Kelly has not really been tested, with maybe the exception of last week’s 21-20 win over Skyline. Hillcrest’s Tyson Sweetwood looks for running room against Twin Falls. | Courtesy Amy Ward. The teams’ biggest common opponent has been Rigby, which handed Hillcrest its lone loss, 35-22, in October. Bishop Kelly beat Rigby 25-19 back on Sept. 12. So, what does that mean? Probably not much. This one could could be a high-scoring game as both Knights teams have plenty of firepower and average more than 40 points a game. Hillcrest has beaten opponents by an average of 20.25 points, while Bishop Kelly is even better at 28.25 points. Both quarterbacks have been prolific, with Hillcrest senior Tyson Sweetwood, the reigning 5A Player of the Year, passing for 1,962 yards and 18 touchdowns, while also rushing for 1,208 yards and 22 touchdowns. Bishop Kelly’s Ben Avella has thrown for 2,405 yards and 35 touchdowns, with Dom Wolthuis being the recipient of 15 of those TD passes. This one will likely come down to which defense can bend, but not break. Using Rigby as the best common opponent, Bishop Kelly held the powerful Trojans offense to 19 points, while Rigby scored 35 in its win over Hillcrest. Hillcrest and Bishop Kelly do have some postseason history as Bishop Kelly beat Hillcrest 29-26 in the 2023 championship game. That game was also played at Albertsons Stadium. 3A: Ririe vs. Nampa Christian, Saturday at Middleton HS, 2 p.m. This in interesting matchup between two teams that likely wouldn’t have been projected as state title game participants at the start of the season. Ririe had one of its best seasons in program history a year ago, reaching the state quarterfinals before losing to eventual state champion West Side. The Bulldogs took it up a notch in 2025, entering their first title game unbeaten and ranked No. 1 in 3A, which is wildly competitive. There are probably eight teams that could be playing in the 3A championship, but Ririe has thrived with a nearly-unstoppable running game that has spearheaded an offense that averaged nearly 37 points per game. Speaking of West Side, Nampa Christian (8-2) punched its ticket to the championship game with last week’s win over the defending champion Pirates. The Trojans have won six straight entering the championship game. As always, the player to watch will be Ririe’s Kolter Lewis, who leads the state with 30 touchdowns and 1,804 rushing yards. Can the Nampa Christian defense slow Ririe? The Trojans have given up and average of just 8.3 points during their six-game win streak. Overshadowed by its offense, Ririe leads 3A in scoring defense at 10.82 points. High scoring game? Low scoring, grind-it-out game? Maybe a bit of both. That’s what makes 3A football so entertaining. The Ririe football team celebrates a conference title. | Allan Steele, EastIdahoSports.com. The post State championships on the line for Rigby, Hillcrest and Ririe appeared first on East Idaho News.
Source: eastidahonews.com