Priest River 36, New Plymouth 14 

PRIEST RIVER — Since August, Priest River head coach Alex Zepeda has been saying his 2026 Spartans are a special group, and thanks to their 36-14 win over New Plymouth on Friday, they now stand alone in the school's record books. 

The victory served as the Spartans' first recorded state playoff win, according to Priest River's athletic director Brad Landis. Though this game made history, the path Priest River took was a familiar one, featuring an overwhelming defense and an ever-improving offensive counterpunch. 

"It was a team effort, just a straight team effort; we had guys making plays everywhere," Zepeda said. This team is the real deal, and it's a great bounce-back from Grangeville." 

Priest River's defense made life miserable for New Plymouth, grabbing four interceptions and recording two sacks. Senior Dayton Wheeler and junior Anden Griesemer recorded a sack each against the Pilgrims. 

In the secondary, juniors Madden Redinger and Geurin Wheeler caught an interception each, which was their fourth of the season, while senior Kane Berns and junior Jacob Best added another. 

"Our defensive backs are really underrated and again, big, big shoutout to Brandon Goins, my defensive coordinator," Zepeda said. "He had a great game plan in terms of just watching a film and getting the boys ready for the game. They showed up, and I'm super proud of the team and my coaches." 

Berns didn't just provide a spark on defense, but on offense and special teams as well. The senior returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown, which served as the catalyst for the Spartans to take total control of the game. 

Best connected with Berns for an 8-yard score as a part of a night where he threw for 129 yards and two touchdowns. Zepeda said that performance from his junior quarterback was the best he's seen from him all season. 

"He went through his progressions, and when he can do that, we can get the plus defender out of the box," Zepeda said.  

Not to be outdone by his quarterback, senior Colton Kuprienko was as dominant as ever. Despite the Pilgrims loading the box to stop him, the Spartans' starting running back added 102 yards and two scores on 22 carries while senior Nate Fegert added 20 yards on seven totes. 

Zepeda said he and his offensive line had a meeting following the loss to Grangeville last week in hopes of correcting issues from that game, and they responded in a high-pressure situation. 

"We have a lot of seniors that have been playing football for a long time, and they responded well," Zepeda said. "I felt it in practice, I felt that before the game, that this was going to be a good night. I think this is exactly what we needed moving forward." 

With the victory, Priest River advances to the state quarterfinal, where they will travel to play Melba next week. 

Salmon River 50, Clark Fork 6 

RIGGINS — Clark Fork was overpowered by the Salmon River Savages in the first round of the state playoffs on Saturday in Riggins. 

The Wampus Cats' lone score came on a 7-yard run by senior quarterback Mateo Cruz, who fought his way into the end zone in the third quarter. Clark Fork's first season under Andre Johansen comes to an end with the loss, and they finish 3-6 overall after battling through one of the toughest schedules in 1A football. 

More details were not available at the time of publishing. 

Cole Valley Christian 34, Bonners Ferry 0 

EAGLE — The Bonners Ferry Badgers couldn't contain a strong offensive day from Cole Valley Christian in their state playoff game on Friday in Eagle. 

Badgers' head coach Danny Swift said his team battled throughout the game, and Cole Valley's athleticism made it difficult to find offensive momentum and slow their chunk plays. With the loss, the Badgers' season comes to a close, and they finish with a 5-4 overall record. 

"I felt [our kids] traveled well, and I know for a fact they played their absolute hearts out, and just really proud of them. It was a really good season," Swift said. "We knew we had an uphill battle tonight, but we came down and hoped to play our best game. It might not have been our best game, but definitely still very proud of the kids." 

Swift said the Badgers defense played an impressive game, though the final score doesn't reflect it. Bonners Ferry held Cole Valley's offense, which averaged 32 points a game heading into the contest, to just 20 points through three quarters. 

However, the Chargers sprung a couple of big plays late, which put the Badgers in a hole they couldn't climb out of. 

On offense, Bonners Ferry suffered from several self-inflicted wounds, including a killer illegal block penalty that negated a 70-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Alex Stolley. The Badgers were held to just 102 total yards on offense, 63 of which came from Stolley. 

"With a team that athletic, you can't miss one assignment or they'll make you pay," Swift said. "It seemed like every time we started to get a little forward progress, we just lacked that execution to continue to move forward." 

After the game, Swift thanked his seniors and said they've left an immeasurable positive mark on the program. He said he told them that he was proud to be a part of their journey and wished them nothing but the best in their future. 

For the Badgers who are returning next year, Swift said his message to them was to feel the pain of losing and use it as motivation for next season. 

"Championships aren't won from August to November; they are won from November to August," Swift said. "We have to find a way to be inspired in the offseason and come back bigger, faster, stronger and better than we've ever been."