Thayne
Thayne, WY · Education
Idaho State Journal
Highland grad Spencer Van Orden didn't get his storybook ending. But his legacy — and future — are just beginning
It wasn’t supposed to end this way. Spencer Van Orden, arguably already the greatest hurdler in Idaho history, was set to add to his legacy. The recent Highland High School grad was a four-time state champion after all, having swept both the 110 and 300 hurdle titles in back-to-back seasons. But on a warm May afternoon during the Class 6A State Track and Field Championships at Mountain View High School in Meridian, it didn’t exactly work out that way. Instead of leaving with a few more titles, Van Orden walked out on crutches instead. “Deep down I knew I was probably pushing it. But that ego, that showmanship part of me — my pride kicked in. I was like, this is my title, this is my race, this is my state. It’s my senior year. And I’m just going to go for it.” That mentality had always worked out for him before. Van Orden entered his senior season as arguably already the best hurdler in Idaho history. A four-time state champion and the holder of both all-classification state records in the 110- (13.60 seconds) and 300-meter hurdles (36.51 seconds), he was also the reigning Gatorade Idaho Boys Track and Field
East Idaho News
Photo of the Week: 2026 prep sports season gets started with busy weekend of football, volleyball
EASTERN IDAHO — The 2026 Idaho high school sports season is officially underway, following a busy weekend that included numerous local Week 0 football matchups and a pair of annual volleyball tournaments. The Rigby Trojans and Pocatello Thunder came away from the Peg Peterson Invitational volleyball tournament in Pocatello with gold and silver bracket championships, respectively. The Butte County Pirates won the Ririe Bulldog Bash at Ririe High School with a dominant 8-0 run through the tourney. On the gridiron, the Blackfoot Broncos beat the Shelley Russets in a conference showdown and the Ea...
eastidahonews.com
Week 0 recap and notes: Rigby has a new QB, Madison offense rolls, and Butte County opens with a win
EASTERN IDAHO – Perhaps no position has been as important to a team’s recent success as being a quarterback at Rigby. From Keegan Thompson to Tiger Adolpho, to the brothers Luke and Jake Flowers, it has been non-stop praise and accolades for Trojan quarterbacks, who have earned state Player of the Year (Thompson, Adolpho, Luke Flowers) and All-State honors (Jake Flowers).
East Idaho News
Highland’s comeback attempt falls just short in home opener against Eagle
POCATELLO — The first test issued at Highland High School this year came Friday night, nearly a week before classes were called to session, when the Rams hosted the Eagle Mustangs in a battle of top-five 6A squads. Given pass-fail, a 33-28 loss means the Rams (0-1, 0-0) failed that test. But, according to head coach Nick Sorrell, it’s more layered than that. Sorrell said after the game that the first thing he addressed in the post-game huddle was how proud he was of the fight the players showed after going down 33-21 with less than four minutes left. Backed into a corner, Highland scored a lat...
Idaho8.com
Eagle holds off Highland 26-21 in Sportsline’s Game of the Week
POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — Eagle opened the high school football season with a 26-21 win over Highland Friday night at Iron Horse Stadium in the first Friday Night Sportsline Game of the Week of the season. The Mustangs struck first behind quarterback Jace Dahlgren. He connected with 6-foot-6 tight...
Idaho8.com
Shelley football seeks stability under fourth coach in four years
SHELLEY, Idaho (KIFI) — The Shelley High School football team is entering the season under interim head coach Mike Messick, marking the program's fourth head coach in four years. The Russets, who have won six state titles since 2000, are working to restore stability and consistency to their program.
eastidahonews.com
Blackfoot holds off Shelley 8-7 in a grind-it-out Week 0 slog-fest
SHELLEY – The 5A High Country Conference season is officially underway as Blackfoot and Shelley kicked off Friday night. Maybe that was due to first-game jitters, or the high temps that sent several players to the ground with leg cramps. But maybe that’s the kind of grind-it-out style the...
KIFI Local News 8
Rigby looks to dominate athletically with new 60,000-square-foot Broulim’s Fieldhouse
"It's going to be a huge game changer – being able to be inside all the time when it's cold and windy and snowy and just being able to train all the athletes that we have in the program,” Rigby High School Head Track Coach Monica Seward said.
East Idaho News
3A District 6: 3A Nuclear Conference a wide-open race following the year of Ririe dominance
EASTERN IDAHO — The Ririe Bulldogs won their first conference title in nearly 80 years last year. Repeating that run will be tough, though, with the sheer number of losses. All-State Player of the Year Kolter Lewis graduated last year after rushing for 2004 yards and 30 touchdowns. Ririe’s second- and third-most productive ball carriers last season were also seniors, leaving senior Bryce Barber, who averaged 16.8 yards per game, as the top returning rusher. Quarterback Breylon Moon was also a senior. In fact, of the 20 All-Conference selections from a year ago, only five will be back this year...
East Idaho News
New field house in Rigby caters to students involved in spring sports
RIGBY – Jefferson School District 251 cut the ribbon Thursday morning on the newly-completed Broulim’s Field House, which sits on the east side of Rigby High School. The 64,000-square-foot building includes three tennis courts, six pickleball courts, a 200-meter track, batting cages, pole vault, long jump, an area for shot put and discus practice, as well as turf fields for baseball, softball, football and soccer. It will be used mainly by students for physical education or athletic training. In the coming weeks, it will also be available for community members to use. Dick and Vonnie Lue Broul...