Friday night is for high school football. But schools are retreating from the tradition.

Boise State and ESPN have scrambled plenty of Friday nights of high school football over the years, causing gripes and grumbles from Treasure Valley high school coaches and administrators as they reschedule their games.

But they can’t blame this week’s schedule on Boise State’s money grab. It’s a mess of their own making.

Thursday night features every one of Week 7’s biggest games:

• No. 1-ranked Rocky Mountain (6-0) at rival Eagle (4-2)

• No. 5 Mountain View (4-2) at Borah (5-1)

• No. 1 Middleton (6-0) at Nampa (5-1)

• No. 4 Bishop Kelly (5-1) at rival Kuna (3-3)

• And No. 1 Homedale (6-0) at Parma (1-5)

Each one of those games is loaded with playoff implications. Yet they all abandoned Friday night.

The reason? Schools voluntarily rescheduling games because of teacher in-service days.

Borah gets a pass as it shares Dona Larsen Park with three other Boise schools, forcing someone to play Thursday night every week. The rest chose to play Thursday.

In fact, more Treasure Valley games are scheduled for this Thursday (five) than in two weeks when Boise State hosts Colorado State on a Friday night (three).

Remind me how this is Boise State’s fault?

State law doesn’t require schools to host in-service days on any particular dates. But most schools pick the first Thursday and Friday of October, giving students the days off to allow teachers to attend regional and state training conferences.

Idaho should embrace any steps to improve education with gusto. But missing from this plan is any logical reason to play football games on a Thursday.

They can’t claim it’s because students aren’t in school. They aren’t in school Thursday either.

They can’t claim it’s to avoid encroaching on other sports. Soccer and volleyball teams all pack their schedule on Thursdays.

And they can’t claim it’s a widespread practice. Idaho hosts 61 football games this week around the state, 52 of them Friday, including 16 in the Treasure Valley.

Eagle coach Paul Peterson said he chose Thursday for two reasons: This week’s game fell in between the Mustangs’ two Thursday night games at Dona Larsen Park, allowing him to keep his team on a set schedule. And he worried about reduced attendance.

Fewer paying fans in the stands means fewer dollars heading to programs’ coffers. Peterson said he feared families would head out of town for a long weekend, but noted that’s up for debate. Families could just as easily leave Thursday with the day off school, and abandoning traditional Friday night games might confuse fans.

“There’s a lot of internal debate about whether the gate is going to take a big hit,” Peterson said. “Being it’s Rocky, we hope it’s not a big hit because our budget is looking for, and needs, a large draw.”

Don’t get me wrong. Football remains a fun extracurricular activity and distraction, with an emphasis on extra. The education of students remains priority No. 1. Thursday night games are little more than a headache.

But schools can’t complain about Boise State encroaching on Friday night football when they willingly retreat from the tradition themselves.

Rocky Mountain at Eagle, 7 p.m. Thursday

The two West Ada rivals battle for the Herb Criner trophy for the third straight year, and this year’s game features plenty of postseason implications.

Undefeated Rocky Mountain already has clinched a playoff spot but can lock up a top four finish in the 5A SIC and a home playoff game with a victory. Meanwhile, Eagle can guarantee its 11th straight playoff berth with an upset.

Rocky Mountain’s defense has dominated opponents all season with its aggressive, blitzing style. The Grizzlies are surrendering a 5A-low 8.8 points per game and a stunning 21 rushing yards per contest.

“We’re angry when it’s more than that,” Rocky Mountain coach Chris Culig joked. “People get yards, but we’re getting a lot of sacks, a lot of tackles for losses, and that’s been an emphasis of ours all year.”

That run defense will face its stiffest test yet in Eagle, which leads 5A with 271 yards per game on the ground. Sophomore quarterback Ben Ford has exploded onto the scene, forcing defenses onto their heels in the Mustangs’ option scheme. He’s growing as a passing threat, too.

“We’ve been putting a lot on the plate of a young sophomore quarterback,” Peterson said. “But I made a comment to Ben last week during the second half of the Timberline game of, ‘You know, kid, I think you’re really getting it.’ ”

Rocky Mountain’s defense has stolen all the headlines. But the Grizzlies’ offense also ranks No. 1 in the state at 42.8 points per game. Senior running back Nick Romano remains Idaho’s most dangerous back, running for 1,000 yards and 19 TDs while averaging 12 yards per carry through six games.

He gashed the Eagle defense for 232 yards and three TDs last year.

“If Nick Romano has any seam, any gap, any space, he’s gone,” Peterson said. “You can see by the numbers he’s putting up and by looking at the film, he’s completely different from everyone else in this league.”

Look for Romano to put the Grizzlies on his back again and carry them to a rivalry win.

Rocky Mountain 37, Eagle 21

Mountain View at Borah, 7 p.m. Thursday

Both teams can clinch a playoff berth with a win. But the injury bug has caught up with Borah, making that task harder.

Wide receiver/defensive back Chase Nett (broken hand) and Borah’s top lineman, Cristian Reyes (torn ACL), are both left to pray for a late playoff return. And quarterback Jake Standlee suffered an undiagnosed forearm injury last week against Boise that kept him out of the second half.

Borah coach Jason Burton said the Lions sat Standlee out of extreme caution and have limited him to mental reps in practice this week. With three years as a starter, he doesn’t need much practice, and Burton said Borah plans to have him under center.

“The percentages say we will have him,” Burton said. “We’re planning on moving forward with that. But right now, our backup (Nate Huskey) is getting plenty of reps.”

Borah’s depleted offensive line struggled to protect Standlee against Capital two weeks ago. With Mountain View bringing its own potent defensive line, Burton said the Lions have added packages to keep extra blockers in the backfield and move the pocket to protect Standlee.

Even if Borah can keep him upright, the Lions will struggle to keep pace with Mountain View if Standlee is limited in any way.

Mountain View 34, Borah 24

Middleton at Nampa, 7 p.m. Thursday

A playoff berth is up for grabs for both teams. That’s hard to believe for Nampa, which last made the postseason in 2009.

But the Bulldogs have won five straight and should only improve with starting quarterback Braden Minor back, allowing Nampa to utilize both him and Donnie Estrada under center.

The setup may sound strange, but Nampa scored on all five possessions in the first half against Columbia last week with the two rotating.

Meanwhile, Middleton has flown under the radar to nab the state’s No. 1-ranking. With junior Dallas Hagler leading the Vikings’ air raid offense, they’ve scored 48.5 points per game, the most in 4A.

Expect plenty of turnovers as both teams feed off them. Middleton has forced 20 and Nampa 18, the most and second most in 4A.

Middleton 42, Nampa 28

Bishop Kelly at Kuna, 7 p.m. Thursday

Bishop Kelly has won 11 in a row against its longtime rival and can secure a playoff berth with a victory.

Kuna just upset Vallivue on the same field a week ago. But lightning rarely strikes twice.

Bishop Kelly 35, Kuna 28

Can’t see the below predictions for every football game on your mobile device? See the full version here.

This story was originally published October 2, 2018 at 10:25 PM.