6A Conference Races Taking Shape as Regular Season Winds Down

With the 2026 Idaho high school football regular season entering its final stretch, conference races and postseason positioning are beginning to take shape across the 6A classification.

Southern Idaho Conference — River Division

The River Division already has its champion. Eagle has officially clinched the division title following a 41-24 victory over Owyhee.

The Mustangs are 3-0 in conference play and have secured their fifth consecutive 6A SIC River Division championship. Eagle's conference run includes wins over Middleton, Boise and Owyhee, putting the Mustangs out of reach for the division title. Having a strong offensive line group and defensive line, where five of those players hold college offers.

With Eagle securing the top spot, attention now shifts to the rest of the River Division as teams battle for postseason positioning over the final weeks. Boise (6-1) is led by Sophomore Quarterback Wayne Bower who is second in 6A for passing yards, Boise also has the 6A leading rusher in senior Running back Logan McDonald who is averaging 139.7 yards per game and has 13 rushing touchdowns on the season.

Southern Idaho Conference — Foothills Division

The Foothills Division remains up for grabs, with some of the Treasure Valley's top 6A programs battling for position.

Capital, Mountain View, Rocky Mountain and Meridian remain teams to watch as the conference schedule reaches its most important stretch. Rocky Mountain remains unbeaten after losing to Puyallup, outscoring opponents 157 to 35 since their loss. Despite the 3 Star recruit Owen Oelkers and the Grizzlies being hot, their next three weeks will be tough as they face off against 4 star recruit Quincey Clay and Capital (3-3), Boise (6-1), and Mountain View (5-1).

With Eagle already locking up the River Division, the Foothills race will be one of the biggest storylines to follow over the next few weeks.

High Country Conference

The High Country Conference race officially begins this week, with all four programs entering conference play at 0-0.

Madison and defending 6A state champion Rigby enter conference play at 5-1 overall, Thunder Ridge sits at 4-2 and Highland enters at 3-3.

Conference play opens with two big matchups as Thunder Ridge travels to Rigby, while Highland travels to Madison.

With only three conference games for each team, there is little room for error. Every matchup will carry major weight in determining the High Country champion and postseason positioning.

Inland Empire League

Up north, Coeur d'Alene, Lake City and Post Falls continue their battle in the Inland Empire League as they begin their conference play this week.

Coeur d'Alene has established itself as one of the state's top 6A teams this season and recently picked up a major 34-27 victory over defending state champion Rigby. Coeur d'Alene has the states leading passing in Senior Quarterback, Tannar Stern who has thrown for 1,823 yards and 24 touchdowns, paired with 567 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns.

With the regular season winding down, conference matchups will become increasingly important as teams fight for league titles and playoff positioning.

The road to the 6A state playoffs is beginning to take shape. Eagle has already punched its ticket as a division champion, but several conference races remain wide open.

The next few weeks will determine who enters the postseason with a conference title — and who will have to fight their way in.

Path to the 6A Playoffs

The 6A playoffs feature 12 teams, but qualification is based on regional representation. In 2026, the West receives five automatic berths, the East receives two and the North receives two, with the final three spots awarded at-large based on MaxPreps rankings.

That makes the final conference games especially important. Teams can secure their place through their regional finish, while those outside the automatic spots will need to remain high enough in the rankings to earn one of the three at-large bids.

The top four seeds receive first-round byes, making playoff positioning almost as important as simply getting in.