Lake City Griz Louie-McGee, Troxel were similar players

University of Montana receivers coach Matt Troxel wrote the book on the position.

But really, though.

There's one copy left on Amazon.

The former Lake City High star penned Coaching Wide Receiver Play, a 140-page paperback to help like-minded coaches get the most out of their pass catchers.

Having a pupil such as electric Griz sophomore Jerry Louie-McGee — another notable Lake City alumnus — helps Troxel's cause.

Troxel, who also hauled in passes at Montana from 2004-07, inherited Louie-McGee in January when Troxel was added to Bob Stitt's staff, leaving his post as Idaho State's offensive coordinator.

Last season in Pocatello, Troxel, 31, barked out plays for the second-best red-zone offense in all of the FCS. Meanwhile in the Big Sky Conference, the fleet-footed Louie-McGee tallied 651 yards on 73 catches and was named a finalist for FCS Freshman of the Year.

Both former Timberwolves will put their respective skill sets on display today at noon in Butte for the Griz's final spring scrimmage.

Louie-McGee was a viral sensation after the first scrimmage April 5, breaking containment on a fly sweep pass before flipping over the top two of defenders — he nearly stuck the landing — into the end zone. The play garnered ESPN Top 10 status that evening.

At 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, Louie-McGee reminded Lake City High football purists of another small, shifty, long-hair-hanging-out-his-helmet talent: Troxel.

From 2001-03, the 5-foot-9, 165-pound Troxel, son of former longtime LCHS football coach Van Troxel, helped the Timberwolves earn a state championship in 2002 before reaching the 2003 semifinals. Troxel tallied 742 yards and six touchdowns on 55 catches as a senior, earning All-Idaho Offensive Player of the Year honors.

A decade later, Louie-McGee, was utilized at multiple positions at Lake City under Van Troxel, churning out 757 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground while finishing with 1,014 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, breaking Troxel's records.

An All-Idaho selection, Louie-McGee spearheaded Lake City to the 2014 5A state semifinals. Two years earlier, alongside his speedy brother, Tucker, now a junior receiver at Idaho State, the T-Wolves also reached the state semis.

Troxel was courted by a handful of Division I schools before signing with Montana, where his father was a quarterback in the 1970s. A knee injury derailed Matt Troxel's, career, though, using his final year of eligibility as a student-assistant coach.

Conversely, Louie-McGee, with the more sterling college resume among the two, wasn't even a scholarship player at Montana, initially. He generated interest from NAIA and Division II schools before walking on in 2015.

The Kootenai County products have made the most of their present opportunities, though, and can help elevate each other even further this fall.

Ryan Collingwood covers sports for The Press. He can be contacted at [email protected] or on Twitter @RyanCDAPress