GRIDIRON GUESSES: Lakeland looks for elusive win vs. Lake City

By MARK NELKE

and JASON ELLIOTT

Sports writers

Lake City vs. Lakeland has developed into a pretty good early season rivalry in recent years.

The teams are meeting for the fifth straight year. Lake City has won the last four matchups, but two of those were one-score games (one decided in overtime), and the other two were decided by 13 and 11 points, including the Timberwolves’ 14-3 triumph last year in Rathdrum.

“I think the proximity is a big part of it,” fifth-year Lake City coach Brian Fulp said. “Over the last five years, the games have been pretty competitive. Our kids know them pretty well.”

First-year Lakeland head coach Mike Schroeder was a Hawks’ assistant coach last year.

“They’ve got a couple great athletes on offense, and are very long on both sides of the ball, and they can run,” Schroeder said of Lake City. “I think this is their year to shine; this is one of the better (senior) groups I’ve seen.”

Lakeland has the advantage of a game under its belt, beating Preston 28-0 last week in Butte, Mont.

Coeur d’Alene continues its juggernaut of a preseason schedule, playing at Rocky Mountain of Meridian tonight.

Rocky won at 5A newby Middleton 21-0 last week.

Post Falls opens its season today, facing the Skyline Eagles of Salt Lake City in a meet-you-halfway game at 2 p.m. MDT at Middleton High.

You think Idaho starts early? Skyline (1-1) already has two games under its belt, after opening its season on Aug. 12 — on Post Falls’ fifth day of practice.

The Eagles scored 55 in its season-opening victory, and gave up 45 last week.

Timberlake, Lakeside and Kootenai also open their seasons this week.

St. Maries is scheduled to get started next week.

As for last week, Mark and Jason each went 1-1.

TODAY’S GAMES

Coeur d’Alene (0-1) at Rocky Mountain (1-0), 6 p.m.

NELKE: Errors kept the Vikings off the scoreboard last week in a 24-0 loss to defending 5A champion Rigby in Missoula. Cut down on those, and if the young Vikings make the usual strides from Week 1 to Week 2 …

Rocky Mountain, 24-21

ELLIOTT: Coeur d'Alene was maybe four or five plays away from winning last week. The Vikings make some strides this week ...

Rocky Mountain, 17-14

Lakeland (1-0) at Lake City (0-0), 7 p.m.

NELKE: If Lake City’s seniors hope to have a big season, tonight would be a good place to start — even though Lakeland has the advantage of a game under its belt.

Lake City, 28-24

ELLIOTT: Lakeland might be out to prove a point that there's another team in the 4A Inland Empire League that might be pretty good this year.

Lakeland, 28-20

Skyline (Salt Lake City) (1-1) vs. Post Falls (0-0) at Middleton High, 1 p.m. PDT

NELKE: Post Falls will be breaking in several new starters, including a new QB. That will be a tall task against a team that has already played not once, but twice.

Skyline, 28-21

ELLIOTT: Post Falls has the guys to keep it close long enough to make something happen. But a team with three games under its belt?

Skyline, 28-22

South Fremont (0-0) at Timberlake (0-0), 7 p.m.

NELKE: The teams open for the third straight season, with the Cougars of St. Anthony making the 500-mile trek to Spirit Lake for the second time in three years. South Fremont has won the last two meetings.

South Fremont, 36-32

ELLIOTT: Playing in a two-team Intermountain League, Timberlake is going to need big wins should that game with Bonners Ferry not go well.

Timberlake, 28-27

Kootenai (0-0) vs. Wallace (0-0) at Sather Field, Silverton, 7 p.m.

NELKE: With Wallace (and Lakeside) dropping from 1A Division I to Division II in football only, this is now a North Star League matchup. Wallace won both meetings last year, but one was a four-point game.

Wallace, 46-42

ELLIOTT: Wallace returns its quarterback and a few wide receivers from a playoff team last year. But Kootenai is improving.

Kootenai, 38-36

Clark Fork (0-0) at Lakeside (0-0), 7 p.m.

NELKE: Ditto here. Clark Fork won last year's meeting 39-22, and would have been a worthy 1A Division II playoff team if not for Mullan-St. Regis.

Clark Fork, 38-22

ELLIOTT: Clark Fork has a little more experience than the Knights, who are breaking in a new coach.

Clark Fork, 40-22