Written by: Lucas Gebhart
Ridgevue has played in Idaho’s 4A classification since it first opened in 2016 and despite having 5A enrollment numbers, the school’s athletic programs will still compete in Idaho’s 4A class.
The IHSAA approved both Ridgevue and Caldwell’s petitions to stay in 4A this spring, which will allow Ridgevue more time to gain a better foothold in Idaho’s high school athletic landscape.
The school has been open six years now, but the Warhawks still have been unable to put together a winning season and are still looking for their first state playoff berth.
The football program has yet to win more than three games in a single season and has finished with a record no better than 2-7 in the last four years. They have yet to finish in the top-half of the 4A SIC as well, something they will look to change this year.
Last season, Ridgevue went 1-7 with their only win coming to Caldwell, a program that has lost 24 straight games and will be playing an independent schedule this season. The move means Caldwell cannot make the state playoffs but is also not tied to a 4A SIC schedule, although the two will still play each other this September.
Ridevue’s 2022 schedule also features a new, but familiar face in Skyview, who is back in the 4A ranks after a few seasons in 5A. Some notable schools not on the schedule this year are Middleton and Nampa as both make the move to 5A this season.
The Warhawks open their season with a 5A program in Boise High and will host Pocatello the second week of the year. Conference front-runner Bishop Kelly waits for the Warhawks in Week Three which is followed by Ridgevue’s longest road trip of the year in Canyon Ridge, a school that sits about two hours away in Twin Falls.
The final four games are all against SIC foes, the toughest being Skyview as the Hawks figure to be a state title contender this year.