BOISE, Idaho — After three months of non-stop competition, the Gem State's top prep teams battled for an Idaho high school football state championship this weekend.
Four different squads repeated as state champions in 2022 and eastern Idaho claimed four of the six titles. Southern Idaho Conference (SIC) winners Meridian and Bishop Kelly both saw undefeated seasons fall short Friday night.
Scroll down for final scores, title highlights and a recap of each championship bout. To view final brackets from each classification, click here.
5A
Rigby Trojans 28, Meridian Warriors 21
Rigby defended its 5A state title with another championship win Friday, defeating Meridian 28-21 in a thriller at Albertsons Stadium. The Warriors' loss on The Blue marked their first of 2022, after rolling through the season unbeaten.
Meridian led the game 21-7 with just over five minutes left in the contest, before Rigby rattled off 21-straight points, including two touchdowns with less than three minutes left in the game.
The Trojans found a way to defeat Southern Idaho Conference (SIC) squads in the quarterfinals, semifinals and Friday's state championship. Rigby knocked off the No. 1 and No. 2 squads in its classification the last two weeks in Rocky Mountain and Meridian, respectively.
4A
Skyline Grizzlies 50, Bishop Kelly Knights 35
Another Treasure Valley team's unbeaten season came to a close Friday night in heartbreaking fashion, as Skyline topped Bishop Kelly 50-35 in the 4A state championship.
The Grizzlies' victory marks their third title in as many years and their fifth state championship since 2016 under head coach Scott Berger. The Knights came up short of claiming their first championship since 2015.
After going 9-0 in the regular season, Bishop Kelly defeated Canyon Ridge, Pocatello and Minico in the playoffs before Friday. Skyline scored more than 40 points in each of its playoff victories over Bonneville, Twin Falls, Sandpoint and Bishop Kelly.
3A
Sugar-Salem Diggers 20, Homedale Trojans 15
The Diggers claimed their fourth 3A state championship in five years Saturday with a 20-15 victory over Homedale at Middleton High School. Sugar-Salem's only loss in a title game since 2017 came in a double-overtime battle with Weiser last year.
The No. 1 seed finished the 2022 season undefeated and avenged its 2021 title loss with another incredible season under Tyler Richins.
No. 2 Homedale fell five points short of winning a state championship for the first time since 1997. The Trojans only lost two games this fall, on Saturday and back in September against Sandpoint (28-21).
2A
Bear Lake Bears 14, Firth Cougars 6
Bear Lake captured its first state championship in program history with a 14-6 win over Firth Thursday at Holt Arena. The Bears went undefeated in 2022 after their only loss Aug. 26 to North Fremont, 24-22.
The dream season finished in impressive fashion the last two weeks. In the semifinals, Bear Lake defeated three-time defending state champion West Side in double overtime.
1A DI
Oakley Hornets 58, Grace Grizzlies 20
Oakley claimed its third-straight 1A Division I title Thursday at Holt Arena with a 58-20 victory over Grace. The championship win marks the Hornets' sixth title in program history.
The Hornets finished the season on a nine-game winning streak, with their only loss coming in the second week of 2022 against 1A DII powerhouse Kendrick.
1A DII
Kendrick Tigers 42, Dietrich Blue Devils 34
The Kendrick Tigers captured their second-straight title Friday, defeating Dietrich 42-34 in the 1A DII state championship at Holt Arena. Kendrick's victory caps off a perfect, 12-0 season including playoff games and gives the Tigers their fifth overall title.
Dietrich kept it close against the defending champs, with the game coming down to the final seconds in Pocatello. Friday's loss is the first for the Blue Devils in the 2022 campaign, after they rattled off 11-consecutive wins this fall.
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