Football league titles on the line Friday. Here’s how all the contenders can win them
Two weeks remain in high school football’s regular season. But the race for league or division titles could be over as soon as Friday in the Treasure Valley.
Many scenarios are on the table entering the week. We sorted through them all and boiled them down to the key stakes this week at the 5A, 4A, 3A and 2A levels. The 1A races can’t be decided until next week.
Here’s what to know for your favorite team, and the games to keep an eye on around the Treasure Valley.
5A SIC FOOTHILLS DIVISION
In the title hunt: Rocky Mountain, Meridian
Key game: Meridian (5-2, 2-1) at Rocky Mountain (6-1, 3-0)
Also watch: Skyview (4-3, 0-3) at Timberline (4-3, 0-3)
The stakes: No. 3-ranked Rocky Mountain clinches the division title and a spot in the conference championship game by beating Meridian.
The Warriors, on the other hand, need to top the Grizzlies by eight or more points to emerge as division champs. That allows Meridian to win a tiebreaker when it, Rocky Mountain and Eagle all finish 3-1 in the division.
Eagle (5-2, 3-1) has completed its division schedule. Its game vs. Centennial has no effect. The Mustangs finish second in the Foothills if Rocky Mountain wins. They finish third if Meridian wins by any amount.
Skyview and Timberline meet Thursday at Dona Larsen Park. The winner finishes fourth in the division. The loser is fifth.
Of note: The 5A SIC plays a cross-division round for playoff seeding next week. That includes the conference title game, as well as lower matchups.
Second-place teams face the fifth-place finisher from the other division. And third-place teams face the fourth-place finisher from the other division.
Winners of those cross-division games next week clinch a playoff berth.
5A SIC RIVER DIVISION
Clinched: Mountain View (7-0, 4-0)
Key game: Borah (4-3, 3-1) vs. Capital (5-2, 3-1)
The stakes: No. 2 Mountain View secured the division title last week with a 24-6 win against Capital. It will host the winner of the Foothills Division in the 5A SIC championship game next week.
The bottom of the River standings are also set with Centennial (2-5, 2-3), Kuna (1-6, 1-3) and Owyhee (0-7, 0-5) finishing fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively, for next week’s cross-division round.
That leaves Borah and Capital to battle for second and third place. The winner hosts the loser of Thursday’s Skyview-Timberline contest next week. The loser hosts the winner of Skyview-Timberline.
Of note: Capital dominated Borah for decades, but the Lions have won two of the past three games against their rival.
4A SIC
In the title hunt: Emmett, Bishop Kelly, Vallivue, Middleton
Key game: Columbia (2-5, 2-3) at Emmett (6-1, 5-0)
Also watch: Bishop Kelly (5-2, 4-1) at Vallivue (4-3, 3-2); Middleton (4-3, 3-2) at Nampa (3-4, 3-2)
The stakes: Emmett can make this simple. Beat Columbia and the No. 2-ranked Huskies clinch the 4A SIC crown for the second straight year.
A loss leaves four teams with a potential path to the league title.
Vallivue has the most to gain from a surprise Emmett loss. The Falcons play Bishop Kelly and Emmett in the final two weeks, giving them the opportunity to notch head-to-head wins and vault to the top of any tiebreaker.
No. 3 Bishop Kelly stands only a game behind Emmett. But the Knights lost to Emmett earlier this year, so they need Emmett to lose twice. That would allow Bishop Kelly to win the league outright with two wins. The Knights could also potentially win a three-way breaker even with a single loss.
Middleton holds a narrow, unlikely path to a league title. It must win out and watch Emmett and Bishop Kelly both drop their final two games.
Of note: The 4A SIC sends four automatic teams to the playoffs. Only the league champion matters for playoff seeding. Finishing second, third or fourth is of no benefit as the state will seed non-league champions sixth through 16th via MaxPreps rankings.
Teams that finish outside the top four are also eligible for at-large berths into the playoffs.
3A SRV
In the title hunt: Weiser, Homedale, Fruitland
Key game: Weiser (7-0, 3-0) at Homedale (7-0, 3-0)
Also watch: Payette (3-4, 1-2) at Fruitland (4-2, 2-1)
The stakes: The matchup of No. 1-ranked Homedale and No. 2 Weiser will likely decide the 3A SRV title, which comes with a first-round playoff bye.
Weiser can lock up the league title with a road win Friday. It would need no outside help with head-to-head wins over Homedale and Fruitland in the event of a three-way tie.
Homedale can win the SRV for the fourth straight year with a victory and a Fruitland loss. The Trojans and Grizzlies wrap up the regular season next week, leaving the possibility of a three-way tie for first place with everyone splitting with each other.
The league will use MaxPreps rankings to break a three-way tie when there are no head-to-head advantages. Homedale and Weiser currently hold large leads over Fruitland in those rankings. But a lot can change inside the computer rankings in two weeks.
Of note: Homedale has won 18 straight conference games.
2A WIC
In the title hunt: Melba, Nampa Christian, Cole Valley Christian
Key game: Melba (5-2, 3-0) at Nampa Christian (6-1, 2-0)
Also watch: Cole Valley Christian (4-2, 1-1) at New Plymouth (2-4, 0-2)
The stakes: The league only gets one guaranteed state playoff berth. All other teams must hope to qualify via MaxPreps rankings. None did last year, making the league title crucial.
Friday marks No. 5 Melba’s final conference game. The Mustangs win their second straight league title with a victory at No. 4 Nampa Christian.
Nampa Christian can also clinch the league title Friday, but it needs help. The Trojans must beat Melba and then see Cole Valley Christian (4-2, 1-1) fall at New Plymouth (2-4, 0-2).
Wins by Nampa Christian and Cole Valley Christian leave the league title undecided heading into the final week.
This story was originally published October 13, 2021 at 1:16 PM.
