RATHDRUM - Lakeland High football coach Tim Kiefer describes senior linebacker/tight end Troy Carr as a great character kid - with a high football IQ.

A three-year varsity player, he's seen time at linebacker, tight end and fullback - as well as a spot start as a sophomore at quarterback against 4A Inland Empire League rival Sandpoint.

"It was a lot of nerves," said Carr of the start. "It was my first time at quarterback and Sandpoint is one of our biggest rivals."

The left-handed Carr was thrown into action after the Hawks' starting quarterback was suspended for the game.

"I was the backup, so they just threw me in the game," Carr said. "I remember we lost the game, but we played decent in it."

Carr completed 17 of 30 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns against Sandpoint in the 41-21 loss.

Carr has since played linebacker on defense and tight end and fullback on offense for Lakeland (2-2), which hosts Post Falls in its homecoming game Friday at Corbit Field.

"I'm really excited for this year," Carr said. "I think we can be a really good team. We're kind of small, but a quick team - so I'm pretty excited for this year."

During the Hawks home opener on Sept. 14, Carr started the game on offense at tight end, but was moved to fullback after an ankle injury to Corey Hansel in the first half sidelined him for the rest of the game.

"I felt really bad for him," said Carr of Hansel. "It was his first game back from (Army) boot camp and was having a really good game."

Hansel had 105 yards before leaving with an injured left ankle. In the backfield, Carr ran for 107 yards - 75 in the second half as the Hawks beat the Blackhawks 38-17 to post their first win of the season.

"I think it's a testament to him that on Friday night (against Cheney), we played him at fullback and he really hadn't worked there at all this year," Kiefer said. "He had in the past, but primarily spent his time at tight end. In that game, we had guys going down left and right and getting banged up. We needed some senior stability, so we made the decision to move him and he jumped right in and didn't miss a beat."

"I was ready for the challenge," Carr said. "I want to help my team out whatever it needs. When it comes down to it, I want the ball."

Carr wound up carrying the ball 16 times in the second half, with the Hawks only throwing twice in the game.

"It's a really good feeling to know that the coaches trust you and have the confidence in you that you can go out and get the job done," Carr said. "It's a really good feeling."

With Carr in the lineup, Lakeland returned to the state 4A playoffs last year for the first time since 2007, something the Hawks would like to repeat on this year.

"That's what we want to do for sure," Carr said. "But not only get to state, but win a couple of games and get to play for a championship - that's what we really want."

Already this season, Lakeland has faced the 5A Lewiston Bengals, as well as Spokane-area schools East Valley, Cheney and Deer Park, with league games against Sandpoint and Moscow next month.

"It's good competition for us," Carr said. "Our first three games (at Lewiston and East Valley and home vs. Cheney) have been really tough games."

Lakeland also suffered an injury to starting quarterback Derek Bayley, leaving backup Matt Horne to lead the Hawks in the second half against Cheney.

"I like where I'm at now," Carr said. "I know I could do it if asked, but I haven't done much quarterbacking lately, but I know that I could if needed to. But both Derek and Matt do a tremendous job, so I really don't have to worry about that."

Carr caught a pair of touchdown passes and ran for a touchdown as the Hawks beat Deer Park 29-14 in a nonleague game on Friday.

"I'm convinced that we could have stuck Troy in there (at quarterback against Cheney)," Kiefer said. "Not that Matt didn't do a great job - because he did - but Troy would have gone in there and done a fine job, just like Matt did. No question, he would have been fine."

Carr's older brother, Scott, is a senior starting linebacker for the Whitworth Pirates, an NCAA Division III program in Spokane.

"We'd play catch when we were younger," Carr said. "We still do sometimes. He really taught me about hard work and size isn't everything."

Scott is 5-foot-8, 200 pounds and started his college career playing baseball at the Community Colleges of Spokane.

"We have different styles of play in my opinion," Scott said. "He is a physical player and his main attributes are hard work and playmaking ability. He is tough because he had to deal with two older brothers - one of which is an officer in the Marine Corps."

"He's a little shorter than me," said Troy, who is 5-11, 175. "But for him to play college ball - that's good motivation for me."

"I think we resemble each other in work ethic," Scott said. "Although he works harder than I used to. He is fun to watch - although I do not get to see him play much."

The younger Carr hopes to play football in college next year.

"I've gone to some camps and sent game film, but haven't seen anything back quite yet," he said.

Carr is also a member of the Lakeland High baseball and basketball teams.

"Basketball is really good at helping me with my footwork for football," said Carr, who plays at the wing and at point guard for the Hawks.

He also pitches and plays first base for the baseball team, which has qualified for the state 4A tournament both years Carr has been on varsity.

"I enjoy playing baseball a lot," said Carr, who played summer baseball on the Club Spokane Dodgers age 18-and-under team. "I thought I had a better chance of getting noticed by college teams and a better experience by playing for the Dodgers. Not that Prairie (an American Legion team) couldn't - but I thought it might be a better experience for me."

Carr had a .377 on-base percentage, scoring 19 runs with 15 runs batted in with the Dodgers, with a .939 fielding percentage. He played the previous season for the Single-A Bayview Whitecaps American Legion baseball team.

"He had a tough year offensively, but finished strong," Spokane Dodgers coach Jeff Simmelink said. "We expect great things from him next summer."

"I enjoy playing both of them a lot," Carr said of baseball and basketball. "But baseball isn't anything like playing under the Friday night lights."

"He's a three-sport athlete and manages them all really well," Kiefer said. "He's kind of unfortunately a dying breed of kid that can play all three. We like it and that's what we want to see in our program. He says and does the right things on the field."

Carr is ranked 10th in Lakeland's 2013 graduating class. He said he is undecided what he might major in in college, but said his favorite subjects are history and math.

"I like learning about the past," Carr said. "It just interests me. I don't hunt, don't ride ATVs, but most of my friends, we enjoy the same thing - whether it's playing football or baseball or just going to the beach."

"I've only had him in weights, but everything you ask him to do, he does," Kiefer said. "No question he can go on to play college football. What level remains to be seen with how he develops his body, but he's got the desire and there's definitely a future for him there."