The last time the Coeur d'Alene Vikings saw the Highland Rams on a football field, they were coming off a 51-point loss to Skyline High of Sammamish, Wash., in the Idaho Football Classic at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow.

It was also the Vikings' first loss after 24 straight wins.

"I think our kids washed that one away (against Skyline) because they were really good," Coeur d'Alene coach Shawn Amos said. "And I think us coaches did that same thing and maybe we shouldn't have taken that approach."

Highland handed the Vikings a second straight loss, rolling to a 45-26 victory at Coeur d'Alene on Sept. 21.

The rematch is tonight, as part of a North Idaho vs. Eastern Idaho doubleheader in the state 5A football semifinals at Holt Arena in Pocatello.

Coeur d'Alene (8-2) plays Highland (8-2) at 4:30 p.m. PST in one semi, followed by Lake City (6-3-1) vs. Madison (10-0) of Rexburg at 7:15 in the other semi.

If Coeur d'Alene and Lake City both win tonight, the state title game next week will be at the Kibbie Dome.

If one of them wins tonight, or if Highland and Madison both win, the title game would be at Holt Arena.

“If we’re fortunate to win, we don’t care where we play next week,” Lake City coach Van Troxel said.

In a state 3A semifinal, Timberlake (6-4) plays host to top-ranked Fruitland (10-0) on Saturday at noon at Van Tuinstra Memorial Field in Spirit Lake.

Coeur d’Alene vs. Highland: Since that loss to Highland, Coeur d’Alene has since won five straight games, outscoring its opponents 177-37.

“It’s been more of a commitment by everyone,” Amos said. “From coaches to players about doing their job better and doing it right. I think everyone bought in and figured that we’re not going to win unless we start doing what we need to do.”

Coeur d’Alene senior Reece Mahaffy has rushed for 775 yards after moving from wide receiver to running back after tailback Marques Mort was injured against the Rams.

“He’s added a real spark to the offense,” Amos said of Mahaffy. “He’s added a real toughness to that side of the ball.”

Coeur d’Alene had three turnovers in the loss to Highland.

“We’re really excited to play them again,” Amos said. “I don’t know if it helps us, but it’s where we want to be right now and that’s in the semifinals. Sometimes you want to face that team again. Part of the reason we’re playing so well right now is because we played so poorly against them before.”

Highland is in the playoffs for the 18th straight year. The Rams have won nine state titles, most recently in 2008.

Senior quarterback Neil Jewell has completed 176 of 277 passes for 2,259 yards and 16 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. He’s also rushed 84 times for 532 yards and 11 TDs. He regularly completes passes to a minimum of seven, eight receivers a game.

Senior linebacker Thomas Ryan (6-3, 240) has already committed to Idaho State. Sophomore center Tristen Hoge (6-5, 270), nephew of Merrill Hoge (ex-Pocatello High, Idaho State, Pittsburgh Steelers, now an ESPN analyst) started every game as a freshman and, some say, could emerge as one of the best players to ever come out of Highland.

Highland plays its home games at Holt Arena.

“We don’t really care where we’re playing in the semifinals,” said Amos, whose squad is in the semis for the fourth straight year. “They could schedule us anywhere and we’d be there. We’ve traveled to play in Seahawks Stadium, the Kibbie Dome and Bronco Stadium. Getting on a bus doesn’t faze us at this point. When teams come to us, they’ve got to play in the cold, wet and mud this time of the year. We get to go down there, play in a warm environment and our kids are excited to get to play in the warm weather for a change.”

Lake City vs. Madison: If this were a basketball game, there could be cause for concern from the Timberwolves.

Logan Anderson, the Madison quarterback, is 6-5. His main receivers are twin brother Alan Anderson (6-7), Jakob Wilson (6-6), Logan Lee (6-4), Sam Baldwin (6-1) and Hayden Hastings (6-1).

Logan Anderson directs Madison’s spread offense, which features five wide receivers the majority of the time. Anderson has completed 231 of 348 passes for 3,003 yards, 29 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He’s also run for 462 yards and eight TDs.

He’s also an 11.1 sprinter, Troxel said.

“He’s the wild card,” Troxel said. “He’s good enough to sit in there and throw, but chase him out of the pocket and he can make big plays for them. He initiates everything. If you run him out of the pocket and put pressure on him, whose going to catch him? He may be the fastest guy on the field.”

So obviously, Madison would rather play indoors on the carpet at Holt Arena than on a potentially muddy track on the Bobcats’ home field.

That Lake City is still playing, with four starters out with injuries last week vs. Eagle, is a testament to the others stepping up in their place.

One of the walking wounded, wide receiver Mitch Bevacqua, is expected back this week after suffering a high ankle sprain against Sandpoint and missing the last four games.

The other three are still not expected to play tonight, but Troxel praised the replacements for their play last week — junior Nathan Newby, who filled in for Jacob Kazmierski at linebacker; junior Caden Robertson, in for Dominic Oliver at linebacker; and sophomore Jacob Ramey, in for Jonny Mathenia at defensive end.

Much like what Troxel did with linebacker Brandon Hanna in 2006, increasing his workload as a running back once the playoffs began, Troxel is doing the same thing with junior linebacker/defensive end Gavan Rosteck.

Rosteck carried the ball a season-high 14 times last week at Eagle, and gives Lake City an additional weapon of offense along with running back Brandon Johnson and H-back Jerry Louie-McGee.

“One guy’s shifty (Johnson), one guy’s fast (Louie-McGee), one guy’s a bull (Rosteck) — you get three different doses,” Troxel said. “And with Mitch, that allows us to stretch the field.”

While Lake City is in the playoffs for the 16th straight season, and in the semifinals for the first time since 2007, Madison is in the playoffs for the first time since 2005, and in the semis for the first time since ’04. Lake City beat Madison for the state 4A title in 2002 at the Kibbie Dome.

Fruitland at Timberlake: The two teams had a stretch where they met in the playoffs four times in five years, but they haven’t faced each other in the playoffs since 2008, when Timberlake lost at Fruitland in the first round.

Timberlake last made the semis in 2007, when the Tigers lost 56-21 at Fruitland. The Grizzlies have won the last three playoff meetings with Timberlake — the Tigers’ lone win coming in the first round in 2004 at Spirit Lake.

Fruitland is led by quarterback Joey Martarano, who has committed to play at Boise State, which is recruiting him as a linebacker.

Fruitland rushed for 334 yards in last week’s 35-18 win over Payette in the first round.

“They’re a big football team with a huge quarterback,” Timberlake coach Roy Albertson said. “We’ve got to find a way to handle him. And they always have some good backs. They’ve got to come here and play on our field, in our weather, and play against a scrappy defense.”

Timberlake beat Weiser at home on a rainy afternoon last Saturday, and snow has already fallen this week.

“If I was Timberlake, I’d be praying for a torrential downpour,” Weiser coach John Shrolec Jr. said after last week’s game. “The worse the field, the worse the conditions, that gives them a better chance, because Fruitland has tremendous speed.”

If Timberlake wins, the Tigers would play at the Kibbie Dome in the state title game next week.

Semifinals

Friday's Games

At Holt Arena, Pocatello

Coeur d'Alene vs. Highland, 4:30 p.m. PST

Lake City vs. Madison, 7:15

Saturday's Game

Fruitland at Timberlake, noon