Vallivue was playing with fire in its first two 5A state soccer tournament games. Naturally, the Falcons’ time in the championship game went smoother.
The Falcons had two late victories in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds to reach the championship on Saturday in Idaho Falls. Their opponent was Wood River, the defending state champions.
Vallivue took an early lead and never looked back. The Falcons won 3-1 to claim their second state title since 2020. Head coach Christian Adamson said he’ll be stepping down as head coach, putting a bow on eight years with the Falcons.
“That was my fourth year coaching at Vallivue, which was the first in program history,” Adamson said about the 2020 state title. “This is my eighth year so it’s the second full cycle…it was a good way to cap off eight years.”
Vallivue’s star player put them up early. Elijah Grimaldo scored inside the first five minutes to give his team a 1-0 advantage. Jose Bonilla doubled the lead in the 22nd minute, pouncing on a rebound from a shot by Grimaldo.
The Falcons withstood heavy pressure in the second half and eventually added a third goal to their tally. Ryan Steinbach made it 3-0 with under 20 minutes to play. Wood River grabbed a late goal, but it was too late.
The Wolverines allowed three goals in a game only one other time this season. Their only other loss this season came against Boise, which won the 6A championship.
“I don’t think they expected us to play as well as we did because they saw us play in our first couple games,” Adamson said. “The first game we scored in the last minute. The second game we won on PKs. It was a struggle.”
Vallivue battled through the first two rounds of the tournament. Grimaldo scored a late goal against Twin Falls in the quarterfinals to advance. In the semifinals, the Falcons beat Idaho Falls 4-3 on penalties. Goalkeeper Connor Blaisdell saved four penalties in the shootout.
The entire season, Grimaldo has been the featured player in attack. His 22 goals are far and away the best on the team. No one else had more than six goals. Grimaldo had two goals in the tournament.
“Our entire attack is formed around him,” Adamson said of Grimaldo. He’s our playmaker in the attack. Draws a lot of attention. Today, he played at a level that was higher than I have ever seen him play. You could tell he was always a step or two ahead with the ball at his feet.”
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