Mountain West High School Football: Who’s Up, Who’s Down Across the Region (Oct. 12, 2026)

All across the Mountain West region, there were some impressive performances that took place on high school football fields in six states from Idaho to the Dakotas.

High School On SI wanted to look at some of the highs and lows from the region that took place this weekend. Here are some of the highlights we found.

Three Up

Boise (ID)

The Braves reached the seven-win mark for just the third time in the past 35 seasons with a 35-29 victory over Owyhee despite being without two of their top playmakers, senior RB Jordan McDonald and junior WR Max Walters. Sophomore QB Wayne Bower was 15-for-21 for 209 yards and a touchdown, and Charlie Ruebel had two touchdown catches for Boise.

However, the MaxPreps rankings Idaho uses to create its playoff brackets have Boise (7-1) at No. 10 in 6A — one spot behind Kuna (3-4) — leaving the Braves at the mercy of the algorithms with one week left in the regular season before the SIC crossover playoffs.

Casper Christian (WY)

The four-year-old program appears poised to make its first appearance in the 1A 6-man playoffs this fall as the Mountaineers improved to 6-0 with a 45-30 victory over Farson-Eden. They already own a win over reigning state champion Little Snake River two weeks ago and are led by QB Zachary Schrack, who already has thrown for over 400 yards twice this season.

Pierre (SD)

The Governors improved to 7-0 with a 65-0 rout of Spearfish, but the bigger accomplishment was senior receiver Carter Schiefelbein becoming the Class 11AA career record-holder for receiving yards when he caught an 82-yard touchdown pass from Jerren Deal in the first quarter.

Three Down

Whitefish (MT)

The Bulldogs hoped to end a three-game losing streak to their rivals at Columbia Falls and maintain their undefeated record and status as the No. 1-ranked team in Class A.

Luke Dalen ran for his third touchdown on fourth down to put Whitefish ahead 31-27, but the host Wildcats had an answer as Banyan Johnston hit Jory Hill for a 10-yard touchdown in the closing seconds to hand the Bulldogs a 34-31 loss.

Brighton (UT)

The bottom has fallen out for the Bengals this season. Two years ago, they went 11-2 and reached the 5A semifinals. They dropped to 7-6 last fall, but with their 38-0 loss to Bountiful, they are 1-8, having lost eight in a row with one week left in the season, and needing to beat Alta this week to avoid their worst season since 1969.

Velva/Garrison/Drake/Anamoose (ND)

The Aggies had won 31 consecutive games in regional play since the end of the 2021 season, but that streak ended in the annual Battle of the Penny rivalry game against Bishop Ryan-Our Redeemer, with the Lions pulling out a 35-22 victory. It marked the first time in four years that the Penny, a wooden trophy featuring the logos of both teams, would be returning to the Lions.

Who rises and falls next? High School On SI will return each week with Three Up, Three Down from around the Mountain West high school football scene.

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