2025 Idaho High School 3A State Football Bracket

There are 5113 fans on right now!

2025 Idaho High School 3A State Football Bracket

Published: 10/26/2025 12:47:56 PM

IS Staff

editor@idahosports.com

LIVE GAMESTREAMS!

Regular Season Schedules, Scores, Rosters

State Tournament Action Photos
2025 Milk Bowl Site Rotations
2025 State Football Rules & Regulations

Buy Tickets Online

Bracket not updating? Try a "hard" refresh by hitting CNTRL-F5. Your browser may have the bracket image cached.

Regular Season Schedules, Scores, Rosters

Click For Printable 3A Bracket

Fan Comments

Only Insider Zone members can comment on articles. It's free to register!

dfogleman98
10/26/2025 3:37:55 PM

Max Preps = Dumpster Fire
How on God’s green earth do two 2 win teams and a 1 win team rank higher than a 5 win team? I don’t care how tough your schedule is if you can’t beat anyone. Hopefully the powers at be in the state look at this nonsense and change how teams are selected for the state tournament.

dfogleman98
10/26/2025 3:42:21 PM

swammee
10/27/2025 11:37:21 AM

No Nampa Christian Eh?
Seems odd to omitt the 3rd or 4th.power ranked 3a team but include all others, yea? Being undefated in and winning your conference outright... and beating 2 of 3 4A schools on your docket just doesn't mean what it used too, huh?

swammee
10/27/2025 12:25:17 PM

MaxPreps-NFHS Networthless -goFan Entities of PlayOn
Dfolglemn98...well said. Playon now owns MaxPreps, NFHSN and goFan tickets and VNN a high school sports team web site builder mess. Playon is astart up, CBS sports, through creative and direct investmens, primary investor. Claim to be profitable...have doubts...would like to fnd P&L to see how much NFHS and by extension IHSAA receives from them. Idaho was blssed when IdahoSports.com was able to broadcast everything. Great cameras and talent. Since NFHSN deal with IHSA! fans get to not see tiuchdown passes, kick off returns, long runs, interceptions...you know...the pivitoal plays in most games!

swammee
10/27/2025 1:03:25 PM

swammee
10/27/2025 1:14:46 PM

Ravsten
10/30/2025 8:46:11 PM

3A champs
Going with Ririe. I don't believe they have ever won a title in football. If someone could please clarify that for me. Go Bulldogs!

zeke
11/4/2025 3:47:13 PM

Replies
I would like to hear what suggestions someone has for bids to the state tournament. While MaxPreps can seem unfair at times it uses a mathematical formula to rank the teams not emotions like everyone else. If you know that your conference is going to be weak, you should schedule up to try and improve your ranking. Plain and simple PLAY BETTER COMPETITION and it will show in the rankings.

swammee
11/7/2025 7:18:36 PM

Algos Are Assumptions
MaxPreps uses a very old set of highly manipulated and frequently manipulated algos to determine, as an example, confetence and team strength at the beginning of a season. Please explain how an algo can know anything about what happens in the off season, summer and preseason to high school, 3A teams in Idaho? There is no portal. Families, players, coaches come and go...but, meh, algos know all of those data ooints and math accounts for it?

swammee
11/7/2025 7:34:07 PM

Algos Again
New Plymouth played undfeated Rire closer than any other team this season, earlier this week. Lowest vs highest seed, Quarter Final game. Tightest game highest seed played all season. The week prior, Nampa Christian beat New Plymouth 52-7 at New Plymouth for the conference title. MaxPreps algos do the math on those games well?

zeke
11/10/2025 9:15:26 AM

Assumptions Based on Math
Lowest to highest seed in a division that is very well matched for the top eight teams in the state (according to MaxPreps) in a game that was played in a neutral location and they still came out on top. The preseason ranking are figured by preseason polls conducted by a coaches survey. I would bet that the coaches of the 3A teams have a better understanding of the situation than casual fans. You can go back and look at all the previous tournaments and see that since the seeding has been changed to MaxPreps, year in and year out the best teams in the state get a chance to compete for a State Championship. Evidently that is not what home town fans care about, they just want their team to make it, even if it means a better team is left out of the mix.

dfogleman98
11/14/2025 2:22:08 PM

Bold Statement Zeke
What is your justification for saying that year in and year out the best teams have made it to state? Hard to say when teams worthy of going were left out and didn’t get the chance to compete. How can you say without a doubt that the 2 two win teams that made it to state were better than the 5 win team left out when common opponent game results favored the 5 win team? I’m not in favor of teams scheduling soft to rack up wins but a 1 win and 2 two win teams ranking higher than five win teams is unacceptable. Why not schedule 7 or 8 tough games you know you’ll lose and 1 or 2 easy games you know you’ll win if that gets you into the state playoffs. Why would young men turn out for football when their 5 wins count for less than the 1 or 2 wins of other teams? It’s no fault of the players, they have to play league games regardless of how week the other teams are, and the state restricts how far a team can travel for non league games. What’s the point of winning games if other teams can lose and rank higher? It’s a broken system.

zeke
11/18/2025 9:45:26 AM

Response
Lets look at some of the facts of the teams. A 5-win team that their 5 win came against teams with a combined 14-30 record, with 2 of those wins coming against JV programs. So lets say 12-30, while their 4 loses came against teams with a 25-17 record. I totally agree that the kids have no choice with who the play, each week, they can only play what is on the schedule. It is up to the AD's and coaches to schedule better. As far distance allowed to travel, other schools have figured it out that they can meet teams at a neutral location that cuts down on travel for both teams, so not being able to travel is not an excuse for playing weaker competition, and then complaining about the results.

swammee
11/19/2025 8:46:17 AM

Reply To Zeke: Assumptions Based on Math
I hope that the best team will win in each Idaho classification in football and in every other prep sport played in Idaho. That we get the best, most accurate match ups to ensure those outcomes, is at question. The contention that the MaxPreps algos should not be the basis for determining seeding, is the contention, made by me and others, that you objected to, leading to this exchange. Here are more data points (math) providing even deeper support of that contention: MaxPreps, Idaho, 3A Football Playoffs Bracket, #1 seed is not playing the MaxPreps #2, #3, #4, nor #5 seed for the title. The MaxPreps #1 seed is playing the MaxPreps #6 seed for the title. The MaxPreps #6 seed defeated the #3 and #2 seeds, 30-14 and 20-8, respectively, in consecutive playoff games to get to the title game. Those data points cannot be squared mathematically with MaxPreps seeding/algorithms. Again, may the best of the two remaining teams win, in every match and game across all classifications. As far as I can tell, from IHSAA available data (Year In Review newsletters), Ririe has never won a state football title and Nampa Christian has appeared in and won, one state football title, that, in 1981. Data source: https://idhsaa.org/archive-state-championship-results.php. The PDF that once listed all IHSAA past champions in all classifications and sports (except baseball), downloadable at one time from the IHSAA web site, throws a 404 Error, for me, now. Fascinating. That URL is: https://idhsaa.org/asset/Year%20in%20Review/FBrecords.pdf

swammee
11/19/2025 8:48:35 AM

Reply To Zeke: Casual Fans and More Math
If your reference to a “casual fan” was meant for me, please understand that I have been actively, not as a “fan”, involved in more than 100 Idaho Class 2A (now 3A) football games and more than 500 other 2A/3A athletic events. I, too, would hope and “bet that the coaches of the 3A teams have a better understanding of the situation than casual fans.” Though many fans are more informed than most might give them credit for, hat tip to dfogleman98. That said, the coaches aren’t at the center of this discussion. MaxPreps seeding by it’s algorithms, is... To point, in response to your insight about the New Plymouth-Ririe playoff game, here are the data points. Ririe, as you stated, “came out on top”. They did, three (3) key datapoints arising from that win are: (1). It was the lowest point margin in Ririe’s season against the lowest seed in the playoffs. (2). That game was the closest win by any team in the playoffs. (3). That game was the broadest spread of seeding values, #1 vs #8. Further data points should include: New Plymouth being defeated at home by the #6 seed two weeks prior by 45 points, scoring just 7. The #8 seed scored 18 against the #1 seed and scored 7 against the #6 seed. Those are data points, not feelings. Ririe, entering the playoffs as #1 seed, will face the team that entered as the #6 seed, for the title. Again, those data points cannot be squared with MaxPreps seeding/algorithms. And, again, may the best of the two teams, playing, win.

swammee
11/19/2025 8:49:16 AM

Reply To Zeke: Preseason Rankings Polls and Algos
In response to your insight about “the preseason ranking(s) are figured by preseason polls conducted by a coaches survey”. I thought we were discussing MaxPreps, math and algos? A survey is about, honest and insightful perhaps, feelings, posturing and predications. Feelings. None of the “preseason polls conducted by any “coaches survey” you allude to, can or do make their way into MaxPreps algorithms. A survey provides only one, subjective, data point. Recall, please, this discussion, started with and is focused not on surveys but with questioning MaxPreps algorithms. Math. Data points. Formulas. Not feelings, however insightful and nuanced. Data points make algorithms work. The accuracy and depth of data points and the data points selected to be fed into algorithms determine the viability of algorithm outcomes. Data points include, but are not limited to, in this discussion: the numerically assessed and mathematically weighted skill levels of both players and coaches: staying, leaving , improving and regressing. A valid algorithm would then aggregate, assimilate and assign values to players, coaches and then teams they play and the outcomes of thoise played games based upon the numerically assessed and mathematically weighted and assigned values for each team. To determine, with validity, the “rankings” of teams, the algorithm(s) must contrast and compare each team’s unique values to the unique values of the teams they play. Team interactions (in-game player results and aggregated team results) during the season, then, must be further valued and weighted to ascertain so-called “rankings”. That is how algorithms work. Math. Not feelings. To the main point of this discussion, the data points are far too shallow, subjective and manipulated to be used, in the way they are, to determine playoff seedings…so teams that should play don’t and teams that should not play, do. The result? #1 plays #6 for the title.

swammee
11/19/2025 8:51:15 AM

3A Playoff Solution
For the first time ever, Idaho 3A football has 4 Conferences with 5 teams each (and a lone independent). Top 4 in each conference make up the 16 team playoff seeding. Several approaches to get at: 16 to 8 to 4 to 2 to Champion. Manual tie-breakers. Coach coin tosses for tied seedings. Play on without PlayOn!

zeke
11/19/2025 1:43:32 PM

3A Playoff Solution
This is the first time that someone has offered a suggestion for a different format for the state playoffs. Now lets go with some of the facts of your top 4 from each conference making the play-offs. With the way the playoffs are set up right now 60% of the 3A teams in the state make to the state play-offs. Under your proposal 80% of 3A teams would qualify for the state tournament, with only 4 teams in the state not qualifying. How are you going to decide tied seeding? If it is purely by record then you are going to have teams schedule down to improve that record and since it is already the smallest 11 man division in the state then you are going to have teams play against JV squads from larger schools. Just a FYI, the state playoff format is not decided by the IDHSAA. Every year coaches and athletic directors have a state rules meeting in Boise in November. Every other year at this meeting it is decided what the playoff format for the next two seasons is going to be. This is voted on by the coaches and AD's of that classification. Then sent to the IDHSAA Board of Directors for approval. So while it is easy to complain about this team or that team not making it to the state play-offs, remember that the coach of AD from that school had a vote,(if they bothered to show up to the meeting.) If they did not let their voice be heard then they can not complain. Every classification in Idaho has voted to use MaxPreps for the seedings and qualifying for the state play-offs. Again voted on by the coaches and athletic directors, not the casual fans that only have their agenda in mind.

zeke
11/19/2025 3:28:34 PM

Solution
Also looking at the solution of having 80% of the schools qualifying for the state play-offs, it need close to the same for each classification. So here we go 6A 15 of 19 teams need to qualify, 5A 20 of 25, 4A 16 of 20, 3A 16 of 20, 2A 17 of 21, and 1A 21 of 26. That breaks down to 105 of 131 teams in the state of 80.15% making it to state. (math). Why not just have a single elimination tournament at the start of the year and tell teams that everyone has a chance.

swammee
11/25/2025 6:22:11 AM

Feelings and 4 MaxPreps Algorithmic Anomalies
My posts are about Idaho, 3A and the troubling reliance on MaxPreps self-proven inadequate algorithms. Not interested in any other classifications. Not interested in polls and feelings, though Zeke brought both into the conversation. Feelings: Since you brought up coaches’ feelings, Zeke, you might, please, note: Not one coaches poll…Not one media poll...At any time… In the 2025 Idaho 3A football season…Had in its Top 5…the now current state champion. Not. One. Poll. Feelings, often, are troublesome predictors, in this case, they were for certain. Algorithms: The regular season closed with MaxPreps “ranking” the now state champion in 9th place. 9th place. The now state champion had been “ranked” as low as 14th. MaxPreps algorithms are troublesome predictors, period. MaxPreps algos created 4, anomalies, in the case of just one team. Anomaly 1: The 6th seeded team defeated the 3rd seeded team. Anomaly 2: The 6th seeded team defeated the 2nd seeded team. Anomaly 3: The 6th seeded team defeated the 1st seeded team. Anomaly 4: The 9th ranked team won the state title. #9 “ranked” and #6 seeded, defeated #3, #2 and #1 in successive games to become the state champion. Play On Without Playon!

swammee
11/25/2025 6:22:53 AM

Playoff Approach Reply To Zeke
So what if 100% of teams make the playoffs in 3A? You said coaches would “play-down” if IHSAA were not dependent upon MaxPreps “rankings”. 3A teams cannot play down…the classification under 3A is 2A, which is 8 man football. Perhaps you meant Coaches would “play softer” teams. Some Coaches have, did and will. The best Coaches didn’t “schedule soft” because of algorithms and MaxPreps “rankings and won’t at anytime because of MaxPreps “rankings”. A good book, suggests that “iron sharpens iron”, Pvbs 27:17. The best coaches schedule accordingly. Always have. Always will.

swammee
11/25/2025 6:31:01 AM

Congratulations To Nampa Christian
Congratulations to the Trojan players, coaches and fans. As a 3A team, you went 2-3 against 4A teams and beat the #3, #2 and #1 3A playoff seeds, in successive games. You earned the Idaho 3A Football State Champions Title that you now hold. Despite great odds, you prevailed.

zeke
12/3/2025 8:49:28 AM

Final thoughts
First of all congrats to Nampa Christian on winning the championship. They accomplished what they set out to do and great job. Now lets look at the comment "Despite great odd" brought up by swammee. I would like to know what are the great odd that you are speaking of? Lets look at their path through the state play-offs, in which you are just looking at a seed number and not the truth of the situation. N.C. did not play in the first round because they were a conference champion, just like every other conference champion they received a first round bye, "great odds". Actual first round of the playoffs, got to host the game again because they were a conference champion, "great odds". Semi-finals played at a neutral location, ISU. Because you will say this amount to being a visitor lets look at the time to travel, N.C. about 3:36 to ISU and W.S 1:02 to ISU, according to Google Maps. I will give this to you on the travel, even though I was at this game and N.C. travels very well and had as many fans at this game if not more than W.S. But lets say N.C. was a visitor. Now lets look at the championship game, N.C. to Middleton 21 minutes and Ririe 4:38, now if we are going to say that N.C. sas the visitor for the semi-final then we also have to say that Ririe is the visitor for the final, "great odds". Again, great job to the N.C. team on a great season but lets not say it was despite great odds. N.C. total travel time for the playoffs was 3 hours and 57 minutes for all of their games, while the travel time for Ririe was 6 hours and 46 minutes. "Great Odds"