Sports Line High School Football Preview Series: Rigby Trojans

RIGBY, Idaho (KIFI) - Much like tug of war, football is a game of inches, and for the Rigby Trojans, every inch counts when it comes to winning state championships.

Rigby Head Coach Armando Gonzalez said it's a pivotal part of his team's identity.

"Ultimately, the tug of war for us is never surrender," Gonzalez said. "But no matter what it looks like, they better pull you across and they better not get over there easy. So I think that's a mentality that we're trying to coach."

The Trojans are a much younger squad compared to the 11-1 team that won the 5A state championship in 2021. For this year's team, it's about continuing that legacy of winning.

"The standard has been set high by the previous teams in front of them," Gonzalez said. "And now, they've got to understand that they've got to carry on that legacy and tradition."

Rigby looks to do just that on a new turf with a new scoreboard at Larry Wilson Field, and both were entirely funded by the community.

"It's a beautiful field and the people in the community, the business support we received, and the volunteers in our community that helped put this together," Gonzalez said. "What a testament to the tight knit community we have to come behind it and get this done because it's going to service not only the football program but a lot of our athletes year round."

The Trojans kick off their title defense next Friday at the University of Montana against Coeur d'Alene with kickoff at 7:00 p.m. Rigby takes the new turf field for the first time in game action Sep. 30th against Skyline.