BLACKFOOT — To wade through people on the Blackfoot football field Friday night was to wade through a hangout. The mood was light. People held pictures here, snapped pictures there. As the temperature chilled to an autumn 50 degrees, Broncos coaches gathered near one end zone, likely chatting about their group’s 28-24 loss to Rigby, the result that disappointed these players and fans in some ways — but encouraged them in many more.

“I’m excited about the way my kids came out and competed with one of the best teams in the state, in 5A, a division above us,” Blackfoot coach Jerrod Ackley said. “We gave them everything they can handle.”

That’s exactly the point. Not many in the green and black laundry seemed too down because for every one thing the Broncos (3-2) regret about this loss, their second straight, they have two to be excited about. Quarterback Jaxon Grimmett tossed what was effectively a game-ending interception in the end zone, but he also totaled 194 passing yards and three touchdown passes, which kept the Broncos in a game few expected them to win.

It wasn’t just that. Grimmett led Blackfoot on scoring drives when they needed them more than food and water. Late in the third quarter, he slung a pass over the middle to receiver Deegan Hale, who made one juke and zipped into the end zone, taking a 17-14 lead. “I just saw a lane and took it,” said Hale, who caught six passes for 114 yards and two scores. After Rigby responded with a touchdown, the Broncos went down and scored again, this time on a touchdown pass from Grimmett to Kort Capson, who made a diving catch in the end zone.

Even when the Trojans responded to that, scoring on a back-shoulder touchdown pass from Luke Flowers to Jase Benedict, Blackfoot looked poised to score. Grimmett made a key third-down pass to Ja’Vonte King, who moved the sticks with a catch over the middle. Moments later, Rigby was called for targeting, moving Blackfoot to the Trojans’ 25. Except things stalled there. Grimmett checked out of a run play and lofted a pass into the end zone, where Rigby cornerback Zxaeb Falevai dove for a one-handed interception.

Game over.

“It was just a vert ball, and I got hit as I threw,” Grimmett said. “It was a little bit of an overthrow. He made a heck of a play, so props to him.”

That’s the thing about playing Rigby. The margins for error are thinner than printer paper. The Trojans are the defending 5A state champions, and their team more closely resembles a factory, rolling out linemen who look like Transformers and receivers who catch like Megatron. When they take the field, they almost always have advantages in size and skill. You have to play a near-perfect game to beat them.

The Broncos came so close to doing it that it could be measured in centimeters. They are the first Idaho club to play them within single digits since last fall, when Rigby eked out a playoff win over Meridian. We could go on and on with superlatives, with reasons why the Trojans’ organization may be the best in the state, but you get the idea.

They showed it almost all night. The Broncos’ defense made several key stops, but they couldn’t get the ones they really needed. Those came in the second half. Late in the third frame, running back Sam Gamino powered through several tackles and rumbled in for a long touchdown rush. Midway through the fourth frame, after Blackfoot had retaken a 24-21 lead, Rigby moved down the field with alarming ease. That drive ended when Flowers, who owns an Arizona offer, lobbed a gorgeous back-shoulder throw for a touchdown.

“They started to wear us down a little bit,” Ackley said. “They’re a lot bigger than us and that shows up. That’s one of the differences between 4A and 5A right there. We just don’t have the same numbers and the same size they do. In the first half you can compete with that, and sometimes in the second half, it gets exposed a little more.”

Also of note is this: Blackfoot is a solid 4A club trying to return to the state playoffs, where they made a semifinal run last year, but few can compete with the powerhouse Rigby. This year the Broncos are without starting running back Austin Ramirez, who suffered a season-ending injury in his team’s first game of the season. Context matters. In this case, it doesn’t favor Blackfoot.

So those size advantages made it difficult for Blackfoot to hang on for a win. But they also made the Broncos’ efforts even more impressive. Late in the second quarter, King jumped a route and snared an interception. That set up Blackfoot’s next trick. At Rigby’s 5 yard line, Blackfoot coaches told Grimmett to run a tight end pop play, but if that wasn’t there, toss the ball out of bounds. So when the play started, and the tight end wasn’t open, Grimmett tried to chuck it out of play.

Only he didn’t put enough on the throw. In the back right corner of the end zone, somehow, Hale came down with a touchdown catch. Fireworks erupted. The Broncos drew within one score right before halftime.

“I didn’t even know he was throwing it out of bounds. I came down with it,” Hale said. “Then we’re going back for the PAT, and he said, I was just trying to throw that out of bounds. So it was a good one.”

If nothing else, as they prepare for next week’s game against Highland, the Broncos can say just that: They scored when they were not trying to. Good luck finding another team that can say they did that against Rigby.

RIGBY 28, BLACKFOOT 24

Rigby 7 7 7 7 — 28

Blackfoot 3 7 7 7 — 24

Scoring summary

First quarter

B — Ballestros 35 field goal, 5:43

R — Packer 45 pass from Flowers (PAT good), 3:26

Second quarter

R — Larsen 5 pass from Flowers (PAT good), 9:04

B — Hale 5 pass from Grimmett (PAT good), 0:24

Third quarter

B — Hale 40 pass from Grimmett (PAT good), 2:42

R — Gamino 37 rush (PAT good), 0:43

Fourth quarter

B — Capson 16 pass from Grimmett (PAT good), 9:14

R — Benedict 14 pass from Flowers (PAT good), 7:15

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Rigby: Flowers 5 (-6), Gamino 7-90, Packer 2-21, Mikkola 8-43, Klingler 4-11. Blackfoot: Capson 9-55, Lawes 5-23, Grimmett 9-50, Parsons 1-6.

PASSING — Rigby: Flowers 13-22-2 154. Blackfoot: Grimmett 13-29-3 194, King 1-1-0 50.

RECEIVING — Rigby: Klingler 1 (-3), Packer 3-88, Benedict 5-54, Larsen 1-5, Peck 1-0, Mikkola 1-1, Steffler 1-9. Blackfoot: King 3-48, Hale 6-114, Lawes 2-9, Capson 2-30.