COEUR d'ALENE - How's this for efficiency?

Lake City had the ball four times in the first half Friday night, and scored five touchdowns.

How's that?

Jerry Louie-McGee returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown, and the Timberwolves finished off all four first-half possessions with TDs en route to a 47-15 victory over the mistake-prone Post Falls Trojans in the 5A Inland Empire League opener for both schools.

Post Falls (3-4) lost four fumbles, and fifth-ranked Lake City (6-1) converted three into touchdowns, including both in the first half.

"That really changes the momentum - us being able to capitalize in a hurry," Lake City coach Van Troxel said of turnovers. "High school games are so much about momentum, and capitalizing on one or two plays, and it changes the complexion of the whole game."

Five different Timberwolves scored touchdowns, including star running back Connor Newby, who did not play in the second half. Newby, playing with a broken hand suffered in the first quarter last week vs. Sandpoint, "took a couple pretty good hits," Troxel said, and was held out of the second half as a precaution.

In his place, senior Kirk McKenzie rushed for a pair of touchdowns, including an acrobatic 20-yarder in the fourth quarter. He also recovered a pair of fumbles in the first half that were turned into scores.

Post Falls had 13 turnovers in its first three losses, including five last week, and four more on Friday night. That was not counting a safety given up for a holding penalty in the end zone. Also, the Trojans also punted the ball close enough on the game's first possession for the dangerous Louie-McGee to pick it up on the bounce and zig-zag his way through the Post Falls players for the game's first touchdown.

Just as hard for Post Falls to stomach was the Trojans were moving the ball well, mostly on the ground, at the time of the turnovers.

"We had a couple opportunities to score in the red zone, and just didn't get it done," Post Falls coach Jeff Hinz said. "I thought we came out a little on our heels to start the game, giving up that punt return. We moved the ball great 20 (yard-line) to 20, got inside the 20, and then bad things happened."

Jacob Koski's long kickoff return set up Post Falls' first score, a 3-yard run by Collin Hildreth. Kicker Nathan Gregory ran for the two-point conversion and the Trojans took a brief 8-7 lead.

Lake City took the lead back three plays later, Drew Shipley's 56-yard catch and run from Michael Goggin setting up Newby's 2-yard run.

McKenzie recovered fumbles (one of which he forced) on the next two possessions, leading to a Goggin TD run and a 38-yard TD pass from Goggin to Brandon Dotson, and it was 28-8.

Post Falls answered with Zach Hillman's leaping catch of a Dalton Thompson pass for a 16-yard TD with 1:25 left in the half. But that left Lake City enough time to score in six plays, with Newby's 37-yard gallop setting up McKenzie's 2-yard plunge with 36.4 seconds left in the half for a 35-15 halftime lead.

"We've been able to throw the ball," Troxel said. "Dotson made a big catch, Shipley came up with a huge play, Jerry returns a punt ... we got a lot of good plays early, and that was able to keep our momentum. And I was pleased at the end, because we finally settled down and ran the ball where we could control it a little bit."

Austin Jackson rushed for 75 yards on 15 carries for Post Falls, and Kaden Nelson had an interception. Scott Helsper and Isaac Christensen each recovered fumbles for Lake City.

Next Friday, Lake City plays at second-ranked Coeur d'Alene, and Post Falls is home vs. Lewiston.

Post Falls 8 7 0 0 - 15

Lake City 14 21 0 12 - 47

First quarter

LC - Jerry Louie-McGee 75 punt return (Casey Bourque kick), 8:59

PF - Collin Hildreth 3 run (Nathan Gregory run), 3:27

LC - Connor Newby 2 run (Bourque kick), 2:34

Second quarter

LC - Michael Goggin 6 run (Bourque kick), 9:04.

LC - Brandon Dotson 38 pass from Goggin (Bourque kick), 2:51

PF - Zach Hillman 16 pass from Dalton Thompson (Gregory kick), 1:25

LC - Kirk McKenzie 2 run (Bourque kick), :36.4

Fourth quarter

LC - Safety Post Falls penalized for holding in end zone, 10:34

LC - FG Bourque 29, 7:11

LC - McKenzie 20 run (Bourque kick), 6:26

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING - PF, Jackson 15-75, Thompson 6-31, Bailey 11-39, Hildreth 2-8, Nelson 1-0, Gregory 2-(minus 8). LC, Newby 11-85, Louie-McGee 12-69, Goggin 8-26, McKenzie 4-28, Keilblock 6-37, Wall 1-(minus 1).

PASSING - PF, Thompson 8-17-0-114. LC, Goggin 12-18-1-187.

RECEIVING - PF, Koski 3-25, Hillman 2-27, Gering 2-60, Nelson 1-2. LC, Shipley 1-56, Hunter 4-13, Louie-McGee 2-17, Newby 1-6, Dotson 2-60, Weadick 1-18, McKenzie 1-17.