Rigby lights up the night and the scoreboard in win over Post Falls, setting up a semifinal against No. 1 Rocky Mountain
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RIGBY – You know it’s a good night in Rigby when the air, heavy with the smell of fireworks, wafts over the stadium and the loud booms echo throughout the brisk night after each score.
Boom!
Again.
And again.
And again.
That was the case Friday night as the Trojans enjoyed the literal and the figurative fireworks in a 52-21 win over Post Falls in the 6A playoff quarterfinals.
After a wild opening six minutes in which Rigby scored on its first possession and Post Falls followed up with a score aided by a flurry of Rigby penalties, the game settled down and Rigby did what it does best.
The Trojans (9-1) were sharp on offense, with Jake Flowers throwing two touchdowns on the next two possessions and the defense stifling Post Falls, which had put up 49 points in last week’s playoff-opening win against Borah.
By the time the Post Falls defense caught its breath, Rigby was up 45-7 at the half and the passing and running game were in sync.
“I think we built momentum tonight,” Rigby coach Armando Gonzalez said. “We played our most complete game on offense and defense.”
That’s always been the big-picture plan for Rigby: winning conference, getting the first-round bye in the playoffs, and then hosting a playoff game, fireworks and all.
“I thought our defense stepped up and stopped the run and made them one dimensional. We knew that putting pressure on the quarterback was going to be the key to stopping them on defense,” Gonzalez said.
Offensively, Flowers finished with three touchdown passes, and Amani Morel caught a scoring pass and also ran for a touchdown. Jerzey Duenes added two touchdown runs.
Next up is Rocky Mountain, which remained unbeaten with a 35-7 win over Kuna. Rocky Mountain will host the semifinal.
Rigby and Rocky Mountain have seemingly been on a collision course all season and the two teams have a playoff history.
Rocky Mountain won the 5A state title in 2018. Rigby won the state title in 2019 and was playing for a repeat in 2020 before being knocked off in the championship game by Rocky Mountain. Rigby won the next two title in 2021 and 2022. Last year, both Rocky Mountain and Rigby were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
This will be the third time Rigby and Rocky Mountain have met in a state semifinal during the teams’ dominance in the state’s top division.
After a disappointing finish last year, one of them is headed back to the championship game.
“I told the kids to enjoy this one tonight and when we get up in the morning we have our work cut out next week,” Gonzalez said. “That’s a talented Rocky team and they will understand what’s at stake … If there’s a team in the state that I think can go down and meet the challenge, I think it’s us.”