Rigby crushes Timberline for 6A title, joining Idaho’s elite class of dynasties
The Rigby High football program added to its dynasty Saturday, repeating as state champs and ending Timberline’s storybook season along the way.
The Trojans dominated Timberline 41-6 for the 6A state championship at Pocatello’s ICCU Dome, earning Rigby its fifth state title in the past seven years. No other school in Idaho’s top classification can match the Trojans’ run since the 6A playoffs in 1979.
“Every year, we just climb to the top of the mountain,” Rigby coach Armando Gonzalez said. “That was the message this week. Finish the climb.
“... As with anything, you can’t stay at Mount Everest, forever, right? The air is too thin up there. So we’ll enjoy it. And then we got to make our way back down, and start all over.”
Rigby (11-1) controlled the game throughout, running for 293 of its 383 total yards. Two-time all-state running back Amani Morel lived up to the billing and wore down the Wolves, finishing with 142 rushing yards and two TDs on 19 carries.
Morel fought through injuries all season, playing with a torn labrum and torn ankle ligaments. He did the bulk of his damage (107 yards, two TDs) in the first half before a third-quarter injury. But Saturday’s performance added to his playoff legend.
Morel ran for 116 yards and two scores in last year’s state championship game, and he racked up 165 yards and five touchdowns in last week’s semifinal win over Rocky Mountain.
“He’s the best player in the state, no doubt,” Gonzalez said. “Especially when you talk about the success of the team coupled with athletic talent.”
Even with him sidelined in the second half, the Trojans’ ground game didn’t miss a beat as change-of-pace back Kue Kofe ran for 86 yards and a touchdown, and quarterback Jacob Flowers added 52 yards as Rigby averaged 5.9 yards per carry.
“They have an incredible line, and their back is just a bus,” Timberline coach Ian Smart. “It’s hard as a coach on the other side to watch. But you kind of watch and you just go, ‘Man, that’s awesome,’ because they did not throw it much.”
Timberline’s offense struggled to mount much of a threat with UC Davis-bound quarterback Jack Brant sidelined with a knee injury. The Wolves finished with 207 total yards, but most of that came with the game already decided. Timberline had only four first downs and 78 yards when Rigby took a 28-0 lead with 1:33 left in the third quarter.
Timberline avoided the first shutout in the 6A championship game since 1986 when Hudson Lewis won a jump ball for a 5-yard touchdown pass from Nash O’Kelley with 1:46 left in the game. But the highlights were few and far between for the Wolves.
Lewis finished 12-for-26 for 113 yards in his second game at quarterback since the fourth grade. The Utah-bound wide receiver also ran for a team-high 24 yards.
Timberline’s defense rescued its rebuilt offense last week, forcing six turnovers to take down Coeur d’Alene. But the Wolves couldn’t create any takeaways Saturday.
“Everyone in the state knew once (Brant) went down, it’s hard to overcome that,” Smart said. “And so for them to step up against Coeur d’Alene the way they did and get themselves into this game, it’s nothing short of amazing.”
RIGBY FOOTBALL DYNASTY
Saturday’s state title put the Trojans in rarefied air with five state titles in seven years. Since the IHSAA playoffs began, only Highland has come close to that run in Idaho’s top classification, with five championships from 1995 to 2002.
Borah won seven state titles in a row from 1965 to ‘71, as well as six in a row from 1958 to ‘63. But those championships came in the state’s AP poll era, when sportswriters voted for a champion at the end of the season.
The run also added to Gonzalez’s quickly mounting total. With five state titles, only five Idaho coaches can claim more championships in the IHSAA playoff era, regardless of classification.
BEST SEASON IN TIMBERLINE HISTORY
Smart acknowledged Saturday’s loss stung for the Wolves. But it still marked a record-setting season for a program long regarded as an afterthought.
Timberline checked off a list of firsts this season, winning its first division title and its first conference title. The program had only two playoff wins in its previous 27 seasons. It doubled that total this fall, winning its first state quarterfinal and its first state semifinal game to advance to its first state championship.
Smart credited Timberline’s senior class, which took its lumps as sophomores playing up on a varsity team that went 1-8. He said the work ethic they showed and the hours they dedicated to the weight room proved what is possible at Timberline.
“I’m hoping people realize that you can come and be successful (here),” Smart said. “But it’s the things that they did that no one saw is what I need those underclassmen to see.
“... I’m hoping that the younger kids that watch this group and say, ‘We want to be part of that,’ understand what goes into making that happen.”
This story was originally published November 22, 2025 at 9:51 PM.
