The postseason kicked off across the Mountain West, punctuated by eliminations and a pair of new arrivals stepping into the High School On SI Top 25 rankings. Box Elder and Ellendale/Edgeley/Kulm saw their respective playoff trajectories halted earlier than projected, opening the door for Glacier to stake its claim among the region’s elite.
Title Contenders Clear the First Hurdle as Utah Braces for Quarterfinals
While top-seeded programs across several state brackets enjoyed opening-round byes, the turf burned bright elsewhere as teams battled for survival. The Cavemen punched their ticket to the quarterfinal round by defeating Copper Hills 32-21, snapping a three-game slide in the process.
Other heavyweights made their postseason intentions brutally clear. Ridgeline pushed its unblemished record to 11-0 with a dominant 45-0 shutout against Mountain View, a performance highlighted by Noah Fiefia churning out four rushing touchdowns to bring his season total to 41. Over in Lehi, top-seeded Skyridge raced to a 35-0 halftime advantage before cruising past Riverton 45-0, backed by Jagger Fountaine accounting for three total touchdowns.
Meanwhile, West stamped its credentials with a blistering 63-0 dismantling of Roy. The Panthers secured a 56-0 lead by intermission behind Kamden Lopati’s five-touchdown display and two electric punt returns by Lester Falatea covering 60 and 50 yards. Orem joined the offensive fireworks show as Tanner Lewis threw for 410 yards and seven touchdowns, carving up Timpview in a 55-7 rout.
Idaho and the Dakotas Face Tight Margins
North of the Utah border, survival demanded grit rather than style points. Boise ended a playoff victory drought stretching back to 1992 by edging Kuna 22-21. Wayne Bower connected with Will Saunders for a 15-yard touchdown strike with just 19 seconds remaining on the clock, then punched in the decisive two-point conversion to seal the upset.
In North Dakota, Kindred survived an intense test against Jamestown, holding on for a 28-21 victory. The Vikings capitalized on a muffed punt to orchestrate a second-half equalizer before Graham Hess delivered the dagger via a pick-six.
South Dakota’s landscape remained fiercely contested as Jefferson improved to 10-0 by overwhelming Rapid City Central 52-10. Matnel Jensen fueled the rout by returning both a kickoff and an interception for touchdowns while also hauling in one of five scoring strikes delivered by Cason Mediger.
New Blood Enters the Fray Ahead of November 6 Showdowns
The departures of Box Elder and Ellendale/Edgeley/Kulm from the poll cleared a path for Glacier to enter the Top 25 mix. Glacier enters the Glacier-to-Class AA postseason field ready to test its mettle against Bozeman.
As the schedule moves to upcoming matchups, three games match Top 25 opponents directly against one another.
