Rigby overcomes early deficit to beat Syracuse 28-14

RIGBY, Idaho (KIFI) – The Rigby Trojans defeated the Syracuse Titans 28-14 in their first home football game of the year, despite an early deficit and a pregame emergency in which a skydiver was injured on the field.

The victory marks Rigby's third consecutive win against Utah teams to start the season, and seventh straight against Utah dating back to August of 2024. Syracuse took an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter following a touchdown run by Kao Pom before Rigby rallied to secure the win.

Before kickoff, a skydiver parachuted onto the field to deliver the game ball for the pregame ceremonies. Upon landing, the skydiver seemingly suffered a serious lower leg injury. Medical personnel tended to the diver for a while, before an ambulance arrived on the field to transport the diver to the hospital.

The result of the incident was kick-off being delayed for about 30 minutes. Syracuse took the early lead on the opening drive of the game. Quarterback Ledger Wright rolled to his right and delivered a pass to Kaleb Hall for a first down and a big gain. Later on the same drive, Wright fired a pass downfield that Rigby defender Jake Boyce managed to deflect, but Syracuse receiver Parker Moffat caught the tipped ball for another big gain. Moments later, Titan running back Kao Pom capped the drive with a touchdown run to the left side, giving Syracuse a 7-0 lead.

Rigby responded on its opening drive as quarterback Evan Freeman connected with target Garrett Olson twice for a few nice gains. The drive stalled, however, and ended in a punt. Late in the first quarter, the Rigby defense forced Syracuse into a field goal attempt, which missed wide right to keep the score 7-0 entering the second quarter. Rigby ultimately rallied to claim the 28-14 victory, improving to 3-0 to start their season. The Trojans will host play against their first Idaho opponent next week, when they host Minico on September 11th.