Two unlikely PK heroes lift underdogs into 6A boys soccer state title game
A wild afternoon at Eagle High sent a pair of underdogs to the championship round at the Idaho 6A boys soccer state tournament.
Borah topped Boise in penalty kicks after a premature celebration earned its coach a red card. And Caldwell topped Thunder Ridge 1-0, converting a penalty kick during regulation after a red card wiped the game’s only goal off the board.
The hectic afternoon set Saturday’s championship schedule.
BOYS SOCCER STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
6A STATE TOURNAMENT
At Rocky Mountain
No. 4 seed Borah (15-4-1) vs. No. 6 Caldwell (15-6-2), 5:30 p.m.
5A STATE TOURNAMENT
At Columbia
No. 1 Vallivue (17-1-1) vs. No. 2 Wood River (17-1-2), 3 p.m.
4A STATE TOURNAMENT
At Meridian
No. 1 Coeur d’Alene Charter (17-1-0) vs. No. 3 McCall-Donnelly (15-1-1), 5:30 p.m.
[Related: Boise, Caldwell shake up Idaho boys soccer state tournament with upsets]
[Related: Girls state soccer: Treasure Valley’s top four teams roll into 6A semifinals]
IDAHO 6A BOYS SOCCER STATE TOURNAMENT
BORAH 0, BOISE 0 (BORAH 3-2 PKs): Borah coach Brian Shields had someone else in mind should Friday’s shootout extend into sudden death. But senior Emili Rashidi informed Shields he wanted the ball, and Shields knew better than to say no.
Rashidi powered his spot kick under the outstretched hand of Jonah Wasko, capping a wild end to a shootout that saw Shields receive a red card and the fourth-seeded Lions advance to the state championship game for the first time since 2017.
“He doesn’t talk. He does not, really,” Shields said. “He’s very quiet. He straight up said, ‘Can I take No. 6?’ When a kid comes up to you like that, you go, ‘100%.’”
Rashidi approached his coach during the fourth round with the Lions on the ropes. Boise’s Meyer Smith and Rosdith Nkalu gave the Brave a 2-1 lead through the first three rounds of the shootout. But four-year starting goalkeeper Christian Griffith stoned Jack Andonian and Hudson Faull to send the shootout into sudden death.
That’s where the chaos ensued.
Shields lost track of the score and was the sole person to rush the field and hug Griffith after he made his third straight save, mistakenly believing that stop secured Borah’s victory. But it merely meant it was Rashidi’s turn, and that earned a straight red card.
Shields pleaded his case, and it took 4 minutes for him to clear the field so the shootout could resume. The delay effectively iced his only penalty taker as Rashidi stood over the ball, waiting for his turn. But the senior reserve didn’t show any nerves, calmly burying his penalty kick to the left side of the net.
Wasko guessed correctly, diving to his right for the stop. But Rashidi kept the ball along the ground, giving Wasko no chance to get down in time for the save.
“That’s amazing composure from him,” Griffith said. “To sit there with the chaos in your mind, that either you win it or we keep going, that’s a lot of pressure for him. But I just told him to do his thing, and he won the game for us.”
Shields’ red card did not come with a state-issued ejection, so he can coach in Saturday’s championship game.
The chaotic victory added to Borah’s late-season surge. The Lions started the year 4-3-1 but head into Saturday’s championship game as winners of 11 of their past 12 games.
Meanwhile, the loss dropped eighth-seeded Boise (13-9-1) into the third-place game at 1 p.m. Saturday at Eagle.
CALDWELL 1, THUNDER RIDGE 0: Walter Romero missed a pair of key penalty kicks for the Cougars earlier this year. But he delivered Friday.
The senior striker converted a 53rd-minute spot kick, lifting the Cougars into Saturday’s state championship game and exorcising his early-season demons.
“I felt the pressure,” Romero said. “But my coach always told me pressure is a privilege. When you do that and you can be there for your team, that’s the best part.”
Romero’s penalty kick capped an odd sequence that saw a Caldwell goal wiped off the scoreboard. Romero originally sent a 29-yard free kick into the 6-yard box. Thunder Ridge defender Will Magnum kept the ball out of the net with a header, but the clearance didn’t go far and Jorge Ramirez fired a header back across the end line.
His celebration didn’t last long, though, as officials awarded Magnum a red card because he swiped his right arm at the ball. The red card erased the goal in favor of a penalty kick. Romero stepped up to the spot, and the Cougars’ irregular penalty taker buried a shot low and to the left, past Thunder Ridge goalkeeper Steven West for the game’s only goal.
Caldwell’s back line made that lone goal stand up, frustrating the state’s top offense (5.1 goals per game) entering the tournament. No. 2 seed Thunder Ridge (18-2-0) finished the afternoon with just two first-half shots on goal, neither of which gave goalkeeper Horacio Hernandez much trouble.
“We wanted it the most,” Romero said. “That’s what allows our defense to do what they do.”
Friday’s victory extended Caldwell’s Cinderella run. Few expected much of the Cougars, who finished 10th out of 14 teams in the 6A SIC preseason coaches’ poll. Even Caldwell coach Rhys Yeakley tempered his goals.
Yeakley’s young players told him they could win state; he figured just making it to the tournament stood as Caldwell’s best possible scenario.
The Cougars did just that, reaching the final eight in Idaho’s top classification for the first time since the IHSAA began sponsoring the playoffs in 2000. Back-to-back upsets forced the normally stoic coach to break down into tears after the final whistle.
“I did not actually think this was a possibility,” Yeakley said. “But these guys have surprised me all year. They’re a fantastic team, which is why I was getting emotional.
“This is the first time I’ve cried in 13 years. I’ve never cried on a soccer field, even when we’ve won championships. That’s the first time. It’s just a really special group of kids.”
OWYHEE 1, ROCKY MOUNTAIN 0: Greyson Pew scored, and Nolan Arnold made nine saves for the shutout as the Storm (14-6-1) advanced to Saturday’s consolation final against Mountain View.
The loss ended the season for Rocky Mountain, the 6A District Three champ, at 15-4-0.
MOUNTAIN VIEW 2, CANYON RIDGE 1: Amjed Salim buried one goal and set up Evan Silva’s strike, leading the Mavericks (16-4-1) into the consolation final at 10 a.m. Saturday at Eagle.
STATE TOURNAMENT SCOREBOARD
FRIDAY
Consolation bracket
At Eagle
Owyhee 1, Rocky Mountain 0
Mountain View 2, Canyon Ridge 1
Semifinals
At Eagle
Borah 0, Boise 0 (Borah 3-2 PKs)
Caldwell 1, Thunder Ridge 0
SATURDAY
Consolation final
At Eagle
Owyhee vs. Mountain View, 10 a.m.
Third-place game
At Eagle
Boise vs. Thunder Ridge, 12:30 p.m.
Championship
At Rocky Mountain
Borah vs. Caldwell, 5:30 p.m.
IDAHO 5A BOYS SOCCER STATE TOURNAMENT
VALLIVUE 4, TWIN FALLS 1: Ryan Steinbach, Marcos Madrigal and Elijah Grimaldo all scored for the Falcons (17-1-1), and the defending state champs also benefited from an own goal to return to Saturday’s championship game.
Senior Alvaro Espinoza made three saves for another win in net for the Falcons, who take on No. 2 Wood River (17-1-2) in a rematch of last year’s title bout.
NAMPA 4, SKYLINE 3: Makai Venegas found the back of the net twice, and Marquez Venegas added another goal as Nampa extended its season in the consolation bracket. The Bulldogs (11-9-1) take on Blackfoot for the consolation title at 10 a.m. Saturday at Columbia.
STATE TOURNAMENT SCOREBOARD
FRIDAY
Consolation bracket
Blackfoot 1, Pocatello 0
Nampa 4, Skyline 3
Semifinals
Vallivue 4, Twin Falls 1
Wood River 3, Sandpoint 2
SATURDAY
Consolation final
Blackfoot vs. Nampa, 10 a.m.
Third-place game
Twin Falls vs. Sandpoint, 12:30 p.m.
Championship
Vallivue vs. Wood River, 3 p.m.
IDAHO 4A BOYS SOCCER STATE TOURNAMENT
MCCALL-DONNELLY 2, WENDELL 1: Jose Manuel recorded a pair of goals to avenge a semifinal loss to Wendell last season and send the Vandals to the state finals.
No. 3 McCall (15-1-1) will battle No. 1 Coeur d’Alene Charter (17-1-0) at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Meridian.
BONNERS FERRY 1, AMBROSE 0: Peyton Hinthorn broke a scoreless tie for the Badgers (12-8-0) in this consolation match, ending the season for Ambrose at 9-6-2.
STATE TOURNAMENT SCOREBOARD
FRIDAY
Consolation bracket
At Owyhee
Teton 2, Marsh Valley 1
Bonners Ferry 1, Ambrose 0
Semifinals
At Owyhee
Coeur d’Alene Charter 2, Sun Valley Community 0
McCall-Donnelly 2, Wendell 1
SATURDAY
Consolation final
At Owyhee
Teton vs. Bonners Ferry, 10 a.m.
Third-place game
At Owyhee
Sun Valley Community vs. Wendell, 12:30 p.m.
Championship
At Meridian
Coeur d’Alene Charter vs. McCall-Donnelly, 5:30 p.m.
This story was originally published October 24, 2025 at 11:42 AM.
