Written by: Brandon Baney
For the second time in the past three seasons, the Rigby Trojans football team climbed the top of the 5A mountain. Their 2021 championship culminated in a 27-12 win over archrival Highland in the title game.
But the graduation losses were significant: Quarterback Tiger Adolpho, running back Zheik Falevai, wide receiver Taylor Freeman, tight end Con Dansie, center Kannon Koster, tackle Talin Togiai, tackle Damian Morales, nose tackle Nic Fangupo, linebacker Logan Fredericksen, linebacker Hunter Nield, cornerback Trevon Talbot and safety Ryder Thompson all departed in the offseason.
And those are just the players that earned 1st Team All-Conference honors. Several other starters and contributors are gone, as well, which means that some on the job training will be required for Rigby to excel again in 2022.
Zheik's younger brother Zxaeb Falevai enters his senior season as one of the few returning starters from a year ago. Falevai was a top-flight cornerback last year, and will be counted on as a new front seven adapts to the varsity game.
Conner Gneiting is a senior that saw time at linebacker a year ago, and sophomore lineman Feki Pouha shows promise.
On offense, junior Luke Flowers steps in as Rigby's new quarterback. He'll be joined by a pair of running backs (senior Lucas Mikkola and junior Payton Klingler) that both saw time a year ago.
Rigby's season starts off with a bang, as the Trojans travel to the University of Montana's Washington-Grizzly Stadium for a Week 0 showdown with Coeur d'Alene.
That's followed by back-to-back road trips to Utah's Sky View and American Fork High Schools.
The Trojans make it five games in a row on the road to start the year with contests at 4A opponents Bonneville and Blackfoot.
After those five consecutive road games, the Trojans finish with three of their last four at home. The good news is that Rigby will be able to showcase one of the nicest facilities in the state, as brand new turf was installed over the offseason.
The bad news: those last four games are no gimmes. Rigby will host two-time defending 4A champ Skyline, along with conference foes Thunder Ridge and Madison. The lone road game will be at Highland's Iron Horse Stadium in a rematch of last year's 5A championship game.