THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016

If last Friday’s football game between the Post Falls Trojans and Lakeland Hawks is any indication, both are looking poised for another run at the postseason.

With Post Falls’ 34-32 win at Lakeland, the Trojans improved to 4-1 on the season with only a nonleague game with visiting Wenatchee looming before league play begins next weekend.

Meanwhile Lakeland, which is 2-3, has lost by a combined four points in 2016.

THE TROJANS have won eight of the last night games in the series, with the lone Lakeland win coming on a late field goal by Idaho commit Cade Coffey in Rathdrum in 2012.

Lakeland used a 20-point second quarter that included a halfback pass for a touchdown as well as a kickoff return for a score to take a 26-20 halftime lead.

Post Falls’ defense allowed six second-half points to hold on for the win.

“They definitely won the first half,” Post Falls interim coach Blaine Bennett said. “And we won the second half. I thought we did a good job at halftime, focused and played a good half of football in the second half. You’ve got to give Lakeland credit, they played a great game. I thought our guys did a good job in the second half.”

Post Falls took the lead for good on a 5-yard touchdown run by Braden Vaughan with 2:48 remaining in the third.

“We had a good week of preparation and getting ready for this game,” Bennett said. “I give Lakeland a ton of credit. They stuck it to us in the first half and we won the third quarter. Fourth quarter was an excellent football game to watch. Again, we had a nice goal line stand, and stopped them late, and that’s kind of our strength.”

Jayden Gering finished with a team-high 102 yards rushing, including a 78-yard touchdown run in the first quarter for Post Falls. Nate Buer threw for 222 yards and accounted for two touchdowns, one passing and one rushing.

“We really are progressing,” Bennett said. “And we had some guys make some big plays. Jayden made a big run and we need to continue to improve our play in some other places. But I like our football team. The players are really playing hard.”

THE SAME can be said for the Hawks, who travel to district rival Timberlake on Friday.

“To be playing three rivalry games in a row, with Post Falls, Timberlake and then Sandpoint (on Oct. 14 at Corbit Field in Rathdrum), this is the part of the season that we want to be healthy and playing our best football right now,” Lakeland coach Tim Kiefer said. “We’re still making mistakes that we shouldn’t be making. We’ve still got some cleaning up to do. If we played a cleaner game tonight, it might have paid off for us.”

Lakeland has won five of the last six matchups with Timberlake, dating back to 2010.

The Hawks’ early season losses came against Colville (7-6) and against East Valley of Spokane (21-20).

“I’m proud of our kids,” Kiefer said. “Post Falls played a physical game and our kids matched it, and played well. It was a fun game to be a part of and I think our kids grew a little bit from it.”

Lakeland opens league play at Moscow on Oct. 7, the same night Post Falls visits Lake City in its league opener.

While nothing will be settled that night as far as the playoffs go, another effort like the one each turned in last Friday will go a long way in determining how far each can go.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JEPressSports.