Honestly, if you were sitting in the stands at Albertsons Stadium this past November, you felt the shift. High school football in Idaho is a different beast now, especially with the recent classification shuffle that moved the "big" schools up to 6A, leaving 5A as arguably the most competitive, grit-filled bracket in the state. The idaho state high school 5a football bracket 2025 wasn't just a list of games; it was a gauntlet that proved being the "biggest" isn't the same as being the best.
Bishop Kelly walked away with the hardware, but the road there was messy, loud, and full of the kind of heartbreak only a November night on the blue turf can provide.
The Bracket That Toppled a Champion
Going into the postseason, everyone had eyes on Hillcrest. They were the defending champs, the team from Idaho Falls that seemed to have figured out the formula. But the 2025 bracket was built like a trap.
The IHSAA seeding committee leaned heavily on the MaxPreps rankings, which put Hillcrest at the #1 spot, but the #2 seeded Bishop Kelly Knights were looming. BK wasn't just undefeated; they were "beat-a-6A-powerhouse-Rigby-in-September" good. When the bracket finally dropped, it looked like a collision course.
The First Round Blowouts and Squeakers
The opening round on October 31st—yeah, Halloween night—didn't have many tricks. Most of the favorites took care of business, though Lakeland narrowly escaping Lewiston 28-27 was a heart-stopper.
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- Hillcrest dismantled Shelley 40-15.
- Twin Falls shut out Ridgevue 38-0.
- Skyline handled Bonneville 42-21.
- Sandpoint pulled off a tight 28-24 win over Minico.
It felt like the calm before the storm. Century looked strong with a 49-21 win over Columbia, but they were about to hit a wall in the next round.
The Semifinal Heartbreak in the 5A Bracket
By the time we hit the semifinals in mid-November, the wheat had been thoroughly separated from the chaff. We were left with Hillcrest vs. Twin Falls and Bishop Kelly vs. Skyline.
The Hillcrest game was a bit of a statement. They put up 43 points on a very good Twin Falls defense. It looked like the Knights from the East were destined to repeat. But over on the other side of the bracket, things got weird.
Bishop Kelly and Skyline played a game that people in Boise are still talking about. Skyline has this weird "luck" or "clutch factor"—whatever you want to call it—where they just refuse to die in the playoffs. BK held on by the skin of their teeth, winning 21-20. One point. That’s all that stood between an all-East Idaho final and the Boise-vs-Idaho Falls showdown we actually got.
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Monday Night Lights: The Championship Breakdown
The final on November 24th was a rematch of the 2023 title game. Hillcrest vs. Bishop Kelly. The "Knights vs. Knights" battle.
For the first half, it was anyone’s game. Hillcrest actually led 14-7 at one point after a 12-yard touchdown run by Dax Sargent. They were moving the ball. They looked like the team that had averaged 40 points a game all season. But then, the wheels sort of fell off in a way that’s hard to watch if you’re a Hillcrest fan.
A 42-yard field goal attempt that would have given Hillcrest the lead going into halftime was blocked. That was the turning point.
The Second Half Collapse
Bishop Kelly didn't just win the second half; they owned it. They opened with a successful onside kick—a gutsy call by the BK staff—and turned it into a touchdown immediately. Jackson Brady took a 3-yard fly sweep into the end zone, and the momentum never shifted back.
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Ben Avella, the Carroll College commit at QB for Bishop Kelly, was surgical. He finished 17 of 24 for 216 yards and added a 41-yard touchdown run. But honestly, the story was the BK defense. They forced four turnovers in the second half. Four. You can't win a state championship when you're coughing up the ball on consecutive series.
Final Score: Bishop Kelly 31, Hillcrest 14.
What This Means for 2026 and Beyond
If you're looking at the idaho state high school 5a football bracket 2025 results and trying to predict next year, keep an eye on the classification shifts. Schools like Canyon Ridge are already petitioning to move down from 6A to 5A for the 2026-27 cycle because the travel is just too much.
The gap between the top of 5A and the bottom of 6A is basically non-existent. Bishop Kelly proved that by beating Rigby (the 6A champ) during the regular season.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Players
If you're a high school athlete or a die-hard fan looking to navigate the next season, here is what you need to do:
- Watch the Petitions: Keep an eye on the IHSAA board meetings. As schools like Canyon Ridge move back to 5A, the strength of schedule for local districts is going to change significantly.
- Focus on Special Teams: The 2025 final was decided by a blocked field goal and an onside kick. In the playoffs, your "third phase" is usually more important than your star quarterback.
- Monitor Enrollment: The 5A classification is now for schools with 700 to 1,399 students. If a school is creeping toward that 1,400 mark, they'll be headed to the 6A shark tank soon.
The 2025 season showed that while the names on the jerseys change, the path to the blue turf always goes through Boise or Idaho Falls. If you want to stay ahead of the curve for the 2026 season, start tracking the junior varsity rosters at BK and Skyline now—that's where the next bracket busters are hiding.