So this morning I’m scrolling through my feed, right? And that Pocatello High football thing pops up again. Had this quick thought: “Wait, where do the Indians actually stand right now?” Couldn’t recall seeing a recent ranking anywhere obvious. Seemed like a simple question with no easy answer hanging around. Figured it was time to actually sit down and dig it out myself.
First step, gotta find the source. Grabbed my coffee and fired up the computer. Just started googling phrases like “idaho high school football rankings 2024”. Searched high and low. Saw tons of sites – MaxPreps, *, local news pages, even forum chatter. Man, it’s like trying to find the bathroom in a big unfamiliar house. Clicked around everywhere. Some stuff looked outdated, like rankings from last season. Others were paywalled. Kept hitting dead ends. Felt like it was taking longer than it should.
The Breakthrough Moment
After bouncing around like that for maybe 20 minutes, I realized I was probably overcomplicating things. Hit up the Idaho High School Activities Association site – you know, IHSAA – directly. Shoulda started there! Found their football section. No fancy rankings table right away. Had to poke at the “state standings” link. That finally got me something solid. Scrolled down past all the classification stuff – gotta find 4A, that’s Pocatello’s division these days, right?
Okay, here we go. Scanning the list… Sandpoint… Bishop Kelly… Middleton… Where are you, Pocatello? Eyes started glazing over! Kept scrolling… Then, bam! Pocatello High School Indians. Took a sec to process what I was seeing. Their win-loss record for this season is right there: 5-3 overall so far. Not too shabby! But where does that put them against everyone else? Looked back at the column next to it. Yep, there it was – Ranked #15 in the latest state poll for Idaho 4A. Wow! Was honestly expecting maybe lower down.
Here’s what I pieced together looking at that list:
- #15 feels respectable – They’re smack in the middle of the top twenty pack.
- That 5-3 record makes sense for rank #15 – Not dominating, but definitely competitive and winning more than they lose.
- The gap to #1 is wide – Sandpoint is sitting way up at #1 with a perfect record (something like 8-0).
- But hey, #15 beats #20-something! – Just qualifying for the state playoffs sometimes needs a Top 16 ranking depending on division. This seems promising.
- Important distinction – This was the ranking before their game last Friday night. Need to check back next week to see how things shifted.
Wrapping It Up
Bottom line is, the Indians are holding their own. #15 in the state for their division isn’t championship tier yet, but it’s solid proof they’re contenders playing meaningful games. That playoff spot is absolutely in reach with a few weeks left. Took more digging than I thought just to find one simple number, but I’ll be real – getting curious and tracking it down myself was kinda fun. Makes their games way more interesting knowing exactly where they stand in the bigger picture now.
All this searching got me thinking though – high school rankings are surprisingly slippery online. You really gotta know where to look, or else you’re stuck guessing or relying on random forum posts. Glad I took the time today. Next task? Remembering to check after next week’s game to see if they climb!