Opportunistic Vikings: Coeur d'Alene makes most of chances, wins third straight game

By MARK NELKE

Sports editor

COEUR d’ALENE — First, there was a blocked punt.

Another punt hit one of the offensive linemen.

And there was another punt where the returner made a late decision to try to field it, only to muff it and the other team recovered.

Plus, the game was scoreless at halftime.

But in the second half, the Coeur d’Alene Vikings found just enough offense to open up a lead, then continued to keep the Woodinville (Wash.) Falcons offense from sustaining a drive, and the Vikings notched a 28-14 victory Friday night at Viking Field.

“That was crazy,” Coeur d’Alene coach Shawn Amos. “But we did respond better, so I was happy, when things didn’t go our way, the kids stayed focused, didn’t panic, and that was one of our talking points — stay on track, good or bad.”

In the first half, Coeur d’Alene (3-2) lost two fumbles, Woodinville (2-2) lost one, recovered by Shea Robertson, and the Vikings’ Joe Kohal blocked a punt.

Woodinville recovered Coeur d’Alene’s second fumble at the Viking 10 with 1:32 left in the half but couldn’t punch it in, and on the field goal try from 27 yards out, the snap was low and the kick sliced wide right.

Coeur d’Alene took advantage after the Falcons fumbled while belatedly trying to pick up a bouncing punt, and Junus McGraw of the Vikings recovered at the Woodinville 7. Quarterback Jamison Kizziar snuck it in from 1 yard out for a 6-0 lead.

“It was a close game, and I just wanted to make an impact, and get the first points on the board,” said McGraw, a senior who downed a punt at the Woodinville 1-yard later in the game. “I have no clue (why the Woodinville player tried to pick up the punt), but then I ended up picking it up, and we scored. I’m just taught to react when there’s an opportunity there. I saw the ball, so I had to jump on it.”

Coeur d’Alene got the ball back, but then punted the ball into one of its linemen. The ball layed on the ground, and Ivori Keo of Woodinville scooped it up and ran 39 yards for a touchdown. The PAT gave the visitors a 7-6 lead.

Coeur d’Alene answered three plays later, when Kizziar hit Caleb Short on a slant from the right side, and Short took it the distance for a 69-yard scoring play. The Vikings had scored on the same play in the first half, but a penalty nullified the score.

Coeur d’Alene opened up a 21-7 lead early in the fourth when Kruz Wheeler broke a 16-yard touchdown run. Wheeler finished with 93 yards on 16 carries.

Woodinville was sometimes effective with screen passes. But on the next series, Viking junior defensive lineman Bryson Muckenthal read the screen and picked it off near midfield, and returned it to the Falcons 26.

“I just felt like I was released too easily, so I just backed out and saw the ball up in the air, and I just put my hands up and caught it,” Muckenthaler said of his first career interception. “He just released me too easily; I just retraced my steps and I saw it coming.”

Coeur d’Alene sealed the win on Kizziar’s second TD pass of the game, a 16-yarder to Jesse Brown.

Coeur d’Alene had just 76 yards off offense in the first half, but finished with 300. Woodinville had 276 yards, but only 40 on the ground, and just 8 at the half. The Falcons punted seven times, and their only offensive score came against backups.

“Defense played solid again,” Amos said. “They’ve been pretty solid the whole year. And we’re catching up on offense. We’re showing signs. I think we took another step today, and we still have a chance to be a pretty good football team. We’re not a real good football team yet, but we have a chance.”

Coeur d’Alene plays host to Union of Camas, Wash., on Friday.

Woodinville 0 0 7 7 — 14

Coeur d’Alene 0 0 14 14 — 28

Third quarter

Cd’A — Jamison Kizziar 1 run (kick blocked), 8:18

Wood — Ivori Keo 39 blocked punt return (Finley Bragg kick), 5:26

Cd’A — Caleb Short 69 pass from Kizziar (Maddix Maciosek pass from Kizziar), 4:44

Fourth quarter

Cd’A — Kruz Wheeler 16 run (Cooper Prohaska kick), 11:45

Cd’A — Jesse Brown 16 pass from Kizziar (Prohaska kick), 1:20

Wood — Tyler Jones 10 run (Bragg kick), :31

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Wood, Rudin 8-20, Jones 7-2, Keo 8-16, Bragg 2-2. Cd’A, Wheeler 16-93, Maciosek 8-36, Kizziar 9-26.

PASSING — Wood, Jones 22-37-1-236. Cd’A, Kizziar 10-23-0-145.

RECEIVING — Wood, Henry 7-124, Bragg 2-19, Keo 1-11, Ratliff 4-19, Larson 4-2, Rudin 3-45, Bowles 1-8. Cd’A, Short 3-79, Whitby 1-6, Robertson 2-23, Farrar 1-1, Maciosek 1-7, Erickson 1-13, Brown 1-16.