COEUR d’ALENE — Van Troxel’s wife has seen it many times before.

So her response to her husband after the game was understandable after the Lake City High football coach opted to go for two points with the game on the line Friday night against Post Falls.

“Well ... normal,” Karen Troxel said after Lake City made the 2-point conversion with 39.3 seconds left and went on to beat third-ranked Post Falls 22-21 in a thriller of a 5A Inland Empire League opener for both schools.

After Allen Carmichael scored from 2 yards out to pull Lake City (3-2) within 1 point, the Timberwolves called timeout and dusted off a 2-point conversion play they hadn’t used since 2004. Quarterback Mark Smyly faked a handoff to Carmichael, then followed the running back over the left side and plowed in for the go-ahead points.

“It didn’t take long to decide what we were going to do,” Van Troxel said. “In 34 years (of coaching), I’ve gone for two to win every time ... that decision was really a no-brainer.”

“We just wanted to win it, and if we couldn’t get it in there, then that was our problem,” said Smyly, who rushed for 129 yards on 19 carries, including a 39-yard scramble on the game-winning drive. “We were going for the win no matter what. I knew right away; Troxel’s not the type of guy that usually settles for a tie; he’s going to go for it.”

Post Falls (4-1), which had taken a 21-14 lead on Tyson Johnson’s 5-yard run and Matt Lickfold’s two-point conversion with 2:28 left, had one last chance. The Trojans worked the ball to midfield, but on the last play of the game Lickfold was smothered as he attempted to pass and Lake City’s Danny Brum recovered. Timberwolf fans swarmed the field as the Trojans trudged away, disappointed.

“Our kids just played their guts out,” Post Falls coach Jeff Hinz said. “They played hard; we responded well when we needed to ... in certain situations we did real well and responded, and in certain situations we didn’t.”

Post Falls took the second-half kickoff and drove 72 yards in 10 plays, capped by Lickfold’s 8-yard run around left end for a 13-7 lead. The PAT was low and blocked.

Lake City turned the ball over on its next two possessions but Post Falls was unable to capitalize, missing a field goal and throwing an interception to Beau Martz of Lake City with 9:44 left in the game.

Smyly hit Colton Carlson deep for 44 yards to the Post Falls 15. Four plays later, Smyly kept the ball around right end and scored from 5 yards out with 6:30 left. Ryan Clark’s kick made it 14-13.

But Post Falls answered. On third and 3, Jordan Pastras scooted around left end 28 yards on a reverse to the Lake City 39. Lickfold, a load for the T-Wolves to bring down all night, carried on four straight plays down to the Lake City 5, then Johnson dragged a couple tacklers into the end zone to give Post Falls the lead back.

“We talked about it, that it was going to be a four-quarter game,” Troxel said. “I think the advantage was, we’ve been in three four-quarter games in the last three weeks, and they hadn’t,” Troxel said.

Both first-half touchdowns were set up by errant punt snaps which gave each team possession of the ball deep in the other team’s territory.

Carmichael ran for 102 yards on 23 carries.

Coaches told Smyly to keep his head up after his pitch was high and fumbled by Carmichael and recovered by Post Falls leading 13-7 early in the fourth quarter. Smyly responded by leading the T-Wolves to touchdowns on their next two possessions.

“I hate letting my team down, and I was trying my best to lead this team like I was supposed to,” Smyly said. “I think I did well at the end to help us out.”

“He felt like the first half it was all his fault,” Troxel said. “That’s what winners do — things don’t go well, they don’t give up, and he made some huge plays.”

“We had him (Smyly) bottled up until that last drive,” Hinz said.

Next Friday, Post Falls travels to Sandpoint, and Lake City visits Lewiston in 5A IEL play.

Post Falls 0 7 6 8 — 21

Lake City 7 0 0 15 — 22

LC — Allen Carmichael 1 run (Ryan Clark kick)

PF — Matt Lickfold 11 run (Scott Benner kick)

PF — Lickfold 8 run (kick blocked)

LC — Mark Smyly 5 run (Clark kick)

PF — Tyson Johnson 5 run (Lickfold run)

LC — Carmichael 2 run (Smyly run)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — PF, Johnson 14-78, Lickfold 13-51, Wood 11-43, Pastras 1-28. LC, Smyly 19-129, Carmichael 23-102, Mitchell 2-17, Carlson 1-7.

PASSING — PF, Lickfold 7-18-1-64. LC, Smyly 8-13-1-98.

RECEIVING — PF, Carter 2-23, Booth 3-33, Johnson 1-5, Pastras 1-3. LC, Mitchell 2-22, Quinn 2-10, Turner 2-21, Carmichael 1-1, Carlson 1-44.