Trojans sparkle
MARK NELKE | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 13 years, 4 months AGO
<p>The Post Falls High defense swarms Sam Mallory from Lakeland High as the running back tries to cross the line of scrimmage during the Trojans 42-14 win Friday over the Hawks.</p>
<p>Post Falls High's Tyler Morris elevates in front of Troy Carr from Lakeland High to break up a long pass play Friday during the first half of the Trojan's 42-14 win over the Hawks.</p>
Mark Nelke covers high school and North Idaho College sports, University of Idaho football and other local/regional sports as a writer, photographer, paginator and editor at the Coeur d’Alene Press. He has been at The Press since 1998 and sports editor since 2002. Before that, Mark was the one-man sports staff for 16 years at the Bonner County Daily Bee in Sandpoint. Earlier, he was sports editor for student newspapers at Spokane Falls Community College and Eastern Washington University. Mark enjoys the NCAA men's basketball tournament and wiener dogs — and not necessarily in that order. | September 24, 2011 9:00 PM
POST FALLS - They shot off fireworks before and after Post Falls' homecoming football game with Lakeland on Friday night at Trojans Stadium.
Johnny Haskew and his Post Falls teammates provided the explosiveness during the game.
Haskew returned an interception for a touchdown, caught two TD passes and his catch and lateral led to another score as the Trojans beat the Lakeland Hawks 42-14 in the "Battle of the Prairie."
Haskew, a senior free safety/wide receiver, set the tone on the fourth play of the game by stepping in front of a pass by Lakeland quarterback Eric Cooper for the interception and returning it 67 yards for a touchdown.
"I think it gave us a lot of momentum; it fired us up pretty good," Haskew said.
Four plays later, pressure by Post Falls' Tyler Booth forced another interception, this time by Marcus Colbert, returned to the Hawks' 28.
On the next play, Haskew caught a short pass from Jake Pfennigs in the left flat, and lateraled to Colbert who streaked down the sideline the final 20 yards for a quick 14-0 lead less than three minutes into the game.
"We started fast; we've started fast the last two weeks," Post Falls coach Jeff Hinz said. "Coming out, putting some early points on the board, and trying to set a little tempo."
Post Falls (4-1) built a 35-8 halftime lead. Lakeland (3-2) answered the Trojans' second score with a 1-yard run by Cooper - set up by Cooper's 67-yard completion to Troy Carr - to cut it to 14-8.
Down 35-14, Lakeland was stopped short on fourth and goal at the 1. Three plays later, Haskew ran a slant route from the left side, caught the pass from Pfennigs in stride and raced through the Lakeland secondary to complete the 94-yard scoring play.
“I think we did a lot of self-destructing tonight. We had a lot of penalties and blown coverages that really hurt us,” Lakeland coach Tim Kiefer said.
In addition to his other plays, Haskew finished with five receptions for 155 yards, and his 11-yard pass on a fake field goal led to Post Falls’ third touchdown.
Anything else? Well, he was also crowned homecoming king at halftime.
Next Friday, Post Falls opens 5A Inland Empire League play at home vs. Lake City, and Lakeland is home vs. West Valley.
Lakeland 8 0 6 0 — 14
Post Falls 21 14 0 7 — 42
PF — Johnny Haskew 67 interception return (Timmy Mueller kick)
PF — Marcus Colbert 20 pass lateral (Mueller kick)
LL — Eric Cooper 1 run (Chadley Miller pass from Cooper)
PF — Tyson Johnson 10 run (Mueller kick)
PF — Seth Anderson 9 pass from Pfennigs (Mueller kick)
PF — Haskew 29 pass from Taylor Valente (Mueller kick)
LL — Troy Carr 1 run (kick failed)
PF — Haskew 94 pass from Pfennigs (Mueller kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — LL, Miller 3-3, Mallory 14-72, Hansel 6-31, Cooper 9-(minus 16), Carr 3-8, Campbell 2-10, McLeod 1-1. PF, Colbert 3-21, Johnson 20-83, Slater 1-2, Pfennigs 1-4, Valente 5-53, Mueller 1-0, Lickfold 1-6, Agueros 1-8.
PASSING — LL, Cooper 10-17-2-153, Bayley 2-5-0-26. PF, Pfennigs 9-16-0-179, Haskew 1-1-0-11, Valente 1-1-0-29.
RECEIVING — LL, Horne 3-33, Campbell 2-23, Dickens 2-12, Carr 3-96, Hansel 2-15. PF, Haskew 5-155, Morris 1-11, Anderson 3-27, Colbert 2-6.
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“The whole process has been completely amazing,” said Nathan Williams, now in his fourth season as the Badgers boys basketball coach. “And the parents … it’s an hour and a half to Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, when we’d play an AAU game, and an hour and a half back, and there were so many times there was 6, 8 inches of snow. And we’ve got a game at 8 a.m. They’d always schedule us at 8 a.m., coming from Bonners. So we’re waking up at 5 … it was crazy. But the commitment from the parents and the kids has been amazing.”