PREP FOOTBALL: Viks, and Trojans ... and Kuna?
MARK NELKE | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 years, 3 months AGO
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. | October 20, 2016 9:00 PM
• Friday’s Games
All 7 p.m.
Coeur d’Alene at Post Falls
Lake City at Lewiston
Clarkston at Lakeland
Timberlake at Kellogg
Orofino at St. Maries
Deary at Lakeside
While Coeur d’Alene (4-3, 1-1 5A Inland Empire League) plays at Post Falls (6-2, 1-1) with the league’s second berth to the state playoffs on the line, some attention will also be directed down south, to a game pitting Kuna (3-5) vs. visiting Timberline (2-6) of Boise.
If Kuna wins, the Kavemen earn the 12th (wild card) berth to the state 5A playoffs which begin next week. If Kuna loses, the Coeur d’Alene-Post Falls loser will earn the wild card playoff berth.
The Kuna game is scheduled to kick off one hour prior to the Coeur d’Alene-Post Falls game.
Post Falls has beaten Coeur d’Alene each of the last two seasons.
Lake City (3-5, 0-2 5A IEL) at Lewiston (8-0, 2-0): No matter what happens in this game, Lewiston will be the league’s top seed to the state 5A playoffs, earn a first-round bye next week, and play host to a quarterfinal game the following weekend. Lake City is playing its season finale.
Clarkston (5-2) at Lakeland (5-3): The Hawks have already clinched the 4A Inland Empire League title, and will have a first-round bye next week before opening the state playoffs at home in two weeks.
Sandpoint, which lost to Lakeland last week, plays Moscow on Friday at Lake City High for the league’s second berth to the playoffs.
Timberlake (2-6, 2-0 Intermountain League) at Kellogg (1-6, 0-2): Timberlake can wrap up the IML title and a first-round bye to the state 3A playoffs with a victory over the Wildcats, who are playing their season finale. Timberlake would play a quarterfinal game at home in two weeks.
In Friday’s other IML game, Priest River plays at Bonners Ferry, with the winner earning a playoff berth and a home game next week in the first round.
Orofino (3-4, 0-1 Central Idaho League) at St. Maries (7-0, 1-0): All three teams in the CIL advance to the state playoffs next week. St. Maries, coming off a bye, can win the league title with a victory over the Maniacs. Orofino lost 21-6 last week to Grangeville, which lost 8-0 to St. Maries the week before. The league champion plays at home in the first round next week, while the second- and third-place teams travel.
Deary (5-1, 4-0 White Star League) at Lakeside (4-3, 2-2): Deary can wrap up a playoff berth with a win, as well as end Lakeside’s playoff hopes.
5A INLAND EMPIRE LEAGUE
League Overall
W L W L
Lewiston 2 0 8 0
Post Falls 1 1 6 2
Coeur d’Alene 1 1 4 3
Lake City 0 2 3 5
Friday’s Games
Coeur d’Alene at Post Falls
Lake City at Lewiston
4A INLAND EMPIRE LEAGUE
League Overall
W L W L
Lakeland 2 0 5 3
Sandpoint 0 1 3 5
Moscow 0 1 2 5
Friday’s Games
Clarkston at Lakeland
Moscow vs. Sandpoint (at Lake City)
INTERMOUNTAIN LEAGUE
League Overall
W L W L
Timberlake 2 0 2 6
Priest River 1 1 2 4
Bonners Ferry 1 1 1 6
Kellogg 0 2 1 6
Friday’s Games
Timberlake at Kellogg
Priest River at Bonners Ferry
CENTRAL IDAHO LEAGUE
League Overall
W L W L
St. Maries 1 0 7 0
Grangeville 1 1 4 4
Orofino 0 1 3 4
Friday’s Games
Orofino at St. Maries
Grangeville is idle
1A DIVISION I
WHITEPINE LEAGUE
League Overall
W L W L
Prairie 5 0 6 1
Troy 4 1 6 1
Lapwai 4 1 6 1
Wallace 3 2 3 3
Genesee 2 3 3 4
Clearwater Valley 2 3 4 3
Kamiah 0 5 1 6
Potlatch 0 5 0 6
Friday’s Games
Prairie at Potlatch
Troy at Clearwater Valley
Lapwai at Wallace
1A DIVISION II
WHITE STAR LEAGUE
League Overall
W L W L
Kendrick 5 0 6 1
Deary 4 0 5 1
Lewis County 2 2 4 3
Lakeside 2 2 4 3
Clark Fork 2 3 4 4
Kootenai 2 4 3 4
Timberline 0 6 0 8
Friday’s Games
Deary at Lakeside
Kootenai is idle
Kendrick is idle
Saturday’s Game
Clark Fork at Lewis County
ARTICLES BY MARK NELKE
PREP FOOTBALL: Post Falls runs past Sandpoint
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Big Sky Football Kickoff: Plenty of new faces will need to step up for Vandals
“I’ve been very impressed by Zach’s natural ability to rush the passer,” Eck said. “And he’s worked hard on his body, he’s up to about 222 pounds now, and I really think he can be a difference maker for us. He’s still doing some things with the linebackers, but I think his speed can give some offensive linemen problems (as an edge rusher).”
THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: Journey to a title in Bonners — with a brief stop in Cd’A
“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.”