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Joining the Rocky Mountain Football League as a newly formed team in 2005, Jesus Jara led the Matadors to their first victory in week three over the Snake River Sabercats enroute to 3-6 inaugural season. Yharmann Williams and Jerry Smith earned all-league nods for their efforts on the season. Smith tallied 670 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns, while Yharmann snagged 9 interceptions to set the bar in the Matador record books. The 2006 season kicked off with a 9-7 victory over Pocatello only for the wheels come off the season as the 'Dors dropped nine games. With only up to go, Idaho improved to 5-5 the following season with a playoff appearance, but sparks of life began to emerge on offense. The arrival of running back Anthony Pomerlee gave the Matadors a new-found rushing identity as Pomerlee ran for nearly 1,000 yards on the season scoring 11 touchdowns. The 2008 team rode the legs of Pomerlee to the RMFL Championship game as he set a regional record 19 rushing TDs on the season to go with 1,510 yards which still sits as #4 all-time in the Northwest Rushing annals. Pomerlee was voted the league MVP, but the Matadors couldn't close the deal as the Eastern Idaho Lionz escaped the championship game with a 21-20 overtime victory. Following the season a story read: "In an effort to put the best football players together that the Treasure Valley has to offer, former rivals the Idaho Matadors and Boise Speed will merge into one program. The main reason for the change is to build a team that is capable of competing and winning in the Rocky Mountain Football League AAA Division." The resulting team was named the Treasure Valley Spartans. This merger created an abundance of players, so it was decided Treasure Valley would operate two teams, one in each of the RMFL's AA and AAA Divisions. The "Spartans" of the AA Division, were to be called the Boise Bombers, but utilized the shared uniforms with the AAA team, so it was decided to remain the Spartans in both division leading to some confusion at times as to which team was playing each week. Star, Anthony Pomerlee and others would don the maroon and gray of the Spartans for the 2009 season. Offensive Lineman Todd Rietman, Pomerlee, wide receiver Britt Hall would lead the offense of the Spartans and receive RMFL accolades. Following the AAA run as the Spartans, the Matadors franchise returned in 2010 to the AA ranks, while both Spartan squads remained. The Matadors would take on their old mates defeating them 28-7 on the way to a 4-4 campaign. The 2011 team would have a better showing at first, starting out with five victories only lose their final three by a total of 11 points including a 10-3 playoff loss to the Sabercats. 2012 marked the return of some big names to the roster, none bigger than Anthony Pomerlee at running back and Jovan Lincoln at wide receiver. This offensive infusion brought the Matador offense to life as the team ripped out to a 10-game win streak amassing 372 points. Pomerlee rushed for 1,425 yards and 14 touchdowns while Lincoln accounted for 12 scores on his way to 689 receiving yards. Pomerlee earned his second career RMFL AA Most Valuable Player award, but one again the Matadors were thwarted in their quest for the crown, falling to the Bitterroot Blaze 33-18 in the championship game. 2013 marked a new era for the Matadors as Quarterback Tom Bennett, after throwing for 8,030 yards and 86 career touchdowns from 2005-2012 stepped away from the team to start the Idaho Lancers. New quarterback Mitch Bourner would set a team record 1,538 yards passing on the season with 21 scores, and last years MVP Anthony Pomerlee would collect only 405 yards and two scores while splitting time with Rory Fawley and QB dual threat Bourner got his legs into the mix. Fawley and Bourner combined for 965 yards rushing and eight TDs. The result was an 8-3 season, with two losses coming at the hands of some familiar faces who were now with the Boise Generals. Those Generals defeated Idaho twice in the final three games, the last 31-14 loss knocking the 'Dors from the playoffs. That would also mark the end of the Pomerlee era with the Matadors after recording 46 touchdowns and over 4,500 yards and two MVP awards, the backfield would lose one of the Rocky Mountain League's top performers from 2007-2013. After a solid eight year run, 2014 got off to an 0-2 mark before scoring a win over the revamped and diminished Generals, themselves starting out 0-3. The Matadors would miss the playoffs and finish with a losing record for the first time since 2006. The next year, in 2015 the slip became worse and Idaho managed just one win, a 13-12 overtime thriller over the Magic Valley Bulldawgs in the second-to-last game of a 1-7 season. 2016 was going to be a change of scenery as the Matadors would look locally to a new league and joined the Idaho Contact League. A former 9-man league that had moved up to 11-man, the 'Dors looked for a fresh start. The league may have changed, but the results were roughly the same as the team opened 0-2 to start ICFL play and would finish 3-6 in a 42-26 playoff loss to the Idaho Black Tide. After three straight losing seasons in two different leagues, in January of 2017 with just a few weeks before kickoff, the Idaho Tribe initiated a merger that brought the entire Matador staff and many players into the Tribe organization that was already riding a 21-game ICFL win streak and securing back-to-back championships in the new league. The merger would bring the Tribe two more ICFL titles for a league record four-straight in the first four years of operation at the 11-man level. In 2022, after six years dormant, the Matador name was rekindled in the ICFL and a new run began as 'version 2.0' hit the scene.
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