Tonight’s Games

All at 7 p.m.

Coeur d’Alene at Lewiston

Post Falls at Lake City

Lakeland at Moscow

Bonners Ferry at Timberlake

St. Maries at Grangeville

Lakeside at Wallace JV

Kendrick at Kootenai

The game of the year in 5A Inland Empire League football is finally here.

Coeur d’Alene (3-2), one of the top teams in Idaho over the past several years, plays at Lewiston (6-0), which has hopes of winning a state title this year, tonight at 7 at Bengal Field in Lewiston, in the 5A Inland Empire League opener for both teams.

“We knew they were going to be good; they have been talking about this group for a long time,” Coeur d’Alene coach Shawn Amos said. “You can tell Lewiston is a senior-led team; they are playing with a lot of confidence.”

Coeur d’Alene, led by junior quarterback and Oregon commit Colson Yankoff, is averaging 44 points per game.

Lewiston, with a pass-happy offense led by senior QB Colton Richardson, who holds a scholarship offer from Idaho, is averaging 47.2 points per game.

“Nobody’s stopped them, nobody’s stopped us,” Lewiston coach Shawn Nilsson said. “It’s a matter of which defense is going to slow the other one down. Coeur d’Alene’s got the weapons, and we have to find a way to slow them down.”

After giving up 56 points in their first two games, the Bengals have allowed 48 in the last four.

Two teams from the 5A IEL automatically qualify for the 12-team state playoffs, and the third-place team is eligible for a wild-card berth.

Tonight’s winner has the inside track on the league’s top seed to the playoffs, which would result in a first-round bye and a quarterfinal game at home, followed by a semifinal game on the road. The No. 2 seed plays at home in the first round, then would travel in the quarterfinal round and semifinal round.

Lewiston last beat Coeur d’Alene in 2008, the last year the Bengals made the playoffs prior to last year’s playoff trip.

“There’s a buzz here,” Nilsson said of tonight’s game. “There’s a buzz at school, and a buzz around town.”

Post Falls (5-1, 0-0 5A IEL) at Lake City (3-3, 0-0): The winner of this game will be in the mix for a playoff berth. Post Falls has won four straight games; Lake City has alternated losses and wins so far this year. Both have beaten Sandpoint — Post Falls winning 22-7 at Sandpoint in the season opener, and Lake City beating the Bulldogs 28-7 at home last week.

“I think every week we’ve gotten a little bit better,” Post Falls interim coach Blaine Bennett said. “We just need to take that next step.”

Lakeland (3-3, 0-0 4A IEL) at Moscow (2-4, 0-0): Lakeland’s lone win last year came over Moscow, at home, putting the Hawks into the state playoffs. Lakeland has designs on challenging Sandpoint (whom the Hawks host next Friday) for the league title. Moscow has lost three straight games by a combined 129-35.

Bonners Ferry (0-5, 0-0 Intermountain League) at Timberlake (0-6, 0-0): The two teams, expected to battle for the IML title, are off to a combined 0-11 start. Timberlake has won seven straight IML titles, and 10 of the last 12. Bonners last won the IML in 2005.

St. Maries (6-0, 0-0 Central Idaho League) at Grangeville (3-3, 0-0): All three teams in the Central Idaho League make the 16-team Central Idaho League playoffs. At stake is seeding — the No. 1 seed plays at home in the first round and in the quarterfinals, while the No. 2 and 3 seeds travel in the first round and quarterfinals. Grangeville won the CIL and state titles last year.

Lakeside (2-3) at Wallace JV: After playing a 6-man game at Mullan last week, the visiting Knights return to the 8-man version against the Miners junior varsity.

Kendrick (4-1, 3-0 White Star League) at Kootenai (3-2, 2-2): The visiting Tigers, expected to contend with Deary for the league title, have scored 58 or more points three times, including a pair of 70-point outbursts.

5A INLAND EMPIRE LEAGUE

League Overall

W L W L

Lewiston 0 0 6 0

Post Falls 0 0 5 1

Coeur d’Alene 0 0 3 2

Lake City 0 0 3 3

Friday’s Games

Coeur d’Alene at Lewiston

Post Falls at Lake City

4A INLAND EMPIRE LEAGUE

League Overall

W L W L

Lakeland 0 0 3 3

Moscow 0 0 2 4

Sandpoint 0 0 2 4

Friday’s Games

Lakeland at Moscow

Sandpoint at Eastmont (Wash.)

INTERMOUNTAIN LEAGUE

League Overall

W L W L

Priest River 0 0 1 3

Kellogg 0 0 1 4

Timberlake 0 0 0 6

Bonners Ferry 0 0 0 5

Friday’s Games

Bonners Ferry at Timberlake

Kellogg at Priest River

CENTRAL IDAHO LEAGUE

League Overall

W L W L

St. Maries 0 0 6 0

Orofino 0 0 3 2

Grangeville 0 0 3 3

Friday’s Games

St. Maries at Grangeville

Declo at Orofino

1A DIVISION I

WHITEPINE LEAGUE

League Overall

W L W L

Troy 3 0 5 0

Prairie 3 0 4 1

Wallace 3 1 3 2

Lapwai 2 1 4 1

Genesee 1 2 2 3

Clearwater Valley 1 3 2 3

Kamiah 0 3 1 4

Potlatch 0 3 0 4

Friday’s Games

Genesee at Potlatch

Troy at Prairie

Kamiah at Lapwai

Pomeroy at Clearwater Valley

Wallace is idle

1A DIVISION II

WHITE STAR LEAGUE

League Overall

W L W L

Kendrick 3 0 4 1

Deary 2 0 3 1

Clark Fork 2 1 4 2

Kootenai 2 2 3 2

Lakeside 1 2 2 3

Lewis County 1 2 2 3

Timberline 0 4 0 6

Friday’s Games

Kendrick at Kootenai

Lakeside at Wallace JV

Deary at Clark Fork

Timberline at Lewis County