Let’s all take a moment to celebrate with the Marsh Valley football program.

It’s been a while.

Playing at home, in a season opener, against their opening-week rivals, riding a three-year losing streak, the bumbling underdogs, the butt of Idaho football humor, the Marsh Valley Eagles gave the town of Arimo reason to celebrate.

The 36-18 win over Malad was Marsh Valley’s first since Aug. 24, 2012, against — who else — the Malad Dragons.

Regardless of what happens with the Eagles for the rest of the season, they can always look back on the Malad game and know they buried an embarrassing 23-game losing streak forever.

No longer will players and coaches go into each Friday night wondering if it’ll finally be the day they kick they bad habit.

Marsh Valley ran the ball 52 times for 453 yards and achieved its highest scoring output since 2012 (a 54-36 loss at Salmon).

The 18-point winning margin was the Eagles’ largest since they beat Kimberly 68-37 in the 2011 state quarterfinals.

With members of the undefeated 1965 Marsh Valley squad in attendance, the Eagles began a new streak.

One they can be proud of.

Other Week 1 musings

Pocatello’s offense — I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Pocatello Indians. I didn’t see them play last season, I’m not familiar with Dave Spillett’s offense, and I know little about the abilities of the athletes.

But after getting word of the 564-yard outburst against Twin Falls, I’m excited to see this team in action.

Junior quarterback Will Schumber threw for 404 yards and five touchdowns while finding 10 different receivers. The Bruins scored 26 points in the fourth quarter to steal one at home, but if Poky can shore up the defense and cut down on turnovers, it should be an exhilarating race for the third playoff berth in District 5-6.

Speaking of District 5-6 — What happened to Blackfoot? The Broncos dropped their opener 41-27 to Hillcrest and quarterback Pacen Hayes went 11 for 27 through the air. Blackfoot lost some key players, but don’t they always? It’s been a 4A powerhouse for the better part of a decade and simply doesn’t lose games by two touchdowns.

Even in 2013, when they went 3-6, their worst defeat was by 17 points.

Maybe Hillcrest will be a force in the 5A ranks this season.

But even so, Blackfoot hasn’t lost to a 5A opponent since 2013 and hadn’t been beaten by the Knights since 2009 — a 26-24 defeat that was the lone blemish on a state championship season.

Speaking of the 5A ranks — The most recent Idaho high school football media poll was released Tuesday, and District 5-6 has three of the top five squads in 5A.

Highland retained its No. 1 ranking, Madison rose to fourth from unranked and Skyline slid in at fifth after going unmentioned in the preseason poll.

And they’re all well-deserved.

Highland took down Utah’s American Fork in a great game Saturday in the dome. The Cavemen were ranked No. 7 in the Deseret News top 25. The Rams’ defense (it’s very, very good) came up with two huge picks in the fourth quarter and the D-line harassed Cavemen QB Tanner Smith all night. It felt like a playoff game. 28-21.

Madison put the beat down on Capital, the No. 5 team in the preseason poll. The Bobcats welcomed the Eagles to Rexburg and sent them back to Boise with an 0-1 record and some more credibility for southeast Idaho. 48-20.

How about Skyline? No preseason media poll votes. A nine-hour drive north. A shutout of perennial terror Coeur d’Alene.

The Grizzlies handed the Vikings their most lopsided regular-season defeat since 2012 and were the first opponents to shut out CdA since — get this — 2004 (according to the Coeur d’Alene Press). Skyline put on a once-in-a-decade performance and earned its way into the top five. 22-0.

Also noteworthy

— Highland, Snake River and West Side are ranked atop their respective classifications in the newest media poll. They’re the defending champs until further notice.

— Could Rigby dethrone Blackfoot? After handling Century 33-7 to start a game up in the league standings, and given Blackfoot’s lackluster start, the Trojans look promising to at least challenge the Broncos for the title. But it’s early.

— Bear Lake snaps Cokveille’s streak? The Bears cruised to a 44-7 win over the Wyoming juggernaut, handing the Panthers their first loss in their last 22 games. But it was a Week 0 matchup for Cokeville — essentially a preseason scrimmage — and may or may not count against its record. Either way, it’s an impressive start for the Bears and first-year coach Ryan Messerly.