Storylines: Regular season’s final week to decide conferences, state seeding
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Friday marks the conclusion of the 2024 football regular season, and several playoff berths have yet to be decided.
The East Idaho Sports Game of the Week features the Highland Rams at the Madison Bobcats, with the Rams fighting for their playoff lives. But there are other games that will provide its winner a seat at the state table.
A 3A mess
There are currently three teams in the 3A Southeast Idaho Conference with an identical 3-1 conference record.
The West Side Pirates (6-1, 3-1) suffered their lone loss to Declo. The Hornets (7-1, 3-1) suffered their only loss to Aberdeen. And the Tigers (6-1, 1-1) suffered their only defeat to West Side.
So, this weekend may not be enough to decide the conference winner and representative at state — that may rely on some deep tie-breaker scenarios.
This weekend, though, the three leaders are focused on their own opponents.
Of the three, West Side faces the toughest test in a visiting Malad team that owns decisive wins over fellow conference foes Wendell and Soda Springs.
Declo will visit Wendell, whose only win came against Soda Springs, who will be at Aberdeen.
It is possible — more appropriately, likely — that all three teams will qualify for the playoffs, but the conference winner will earn a higher seed and first-round bye.
If one — or two — of the leaders are upset, they will drop the chance at the tournament advantage.
A two-team 2A conference
The winner of the 2A High Desert Conference will be decided Friday, in the only conference game of the season.
Butte County (6-1, 0-0) and Grace (5-3, 0-0) have played just two common opponents — Raft River and Murtaugh.
The Pirates beat Raft River, 57-14, and Murtaugh, 67-16. The Grizzlies topped Murtaugh, 50-26, but lost to Raft River, 56-42.
Friday’s winner will claim the conference crown and earn a first-round bye.
Throwing a bulldog in the plans
Rockland (4-3, 3-0) currently leads the 1A Rocky Mountain Conference. But a home loss to North Gem (4-4, 2-1) Friday would create a three-team tie at the top.
In that scenario, tiebreakers would decide the conference title between the Bulldogs, Cowboys and Challis Vikings (5-3, 3-1), whose lone conference loss came at the hands of Rockland.
Is an upset afoot?
High-scoring Sugar-Salem (5-2, 1-0) has averaged 39.86 points per game while grabbing a stranglehold on the state’s 4A MaxPreps rankings.
With a 17.4 rating, the Diggers approach the playoffs as the top-ranked team in the division. But a loss to Teton would cost Sugar-Salem its conference title and first-round bye.
The Timberwolves (2-5, 1-0) have won back-to-back games and have the chance to upset everything.