Gridiron Guesses Sept. 27, 2024: Vikings, Bulldogs collide tonight; Lake City, Post Falls on the road again

After a pair of one-sided football wins by Coeur d’Alene over Sandpoint in 2010 and ‘11, the teams did not play again until 2020 — ending a streak of matches that may have extended back to the days of the leather helmet. 

OK, maybe not that far back, but you get the drift.  

But Coeur d’Alene and Sandpoint, both steeped in tradition and with ties to the legendary “Cotton” Barlow, had played against each other in football for a long, long time, until that recent hiatus. 

The teams have met four times since then, and while Coeur d’Alene has won all four, the last three have been competitive — 24-22 at Sandpoint in 2021, 27-15 at Coeur d’Alene in 2022 and 19-0 at Sandpoint last year. 

The teams meet again tonight at 7 p.m., at Barlow Stadium in Sandpoint.  

Sandpoint’s last win in the series came in 2008, a 27-7 triumph at Coeur d’Alene. 

As for the picks, Mark Nelke went 5-1 last week, and Jason Elliott and Josh McDonald — the 1-2 pride of the Silver Valley — each went 4-2.

For the season, Mark is 28-7, Jason 27-8, Josh 22-13. 

FRIDAY’S GAMES 

Coeur d’Alene (3-1) at Sandpoint (3-2), 7 p.m. 

NELKE: It’s good to see Coeur d’Alene and Sandpoint playing again in football. Even better that Sandpoint vs. Coeur d’Alene is again a competitive football game. 

Coeur d’Alene, 31-21 

ELLIOTT: Coeur d'Alene gets its run to the postseason started with a big win.

Coeur d'Alene, 38-20

McDONALD: The Viks are coming off their bye, while the Bulldogs are coming off a loss in legit game of the year candidate. Should be a beautiful night by Lake Pend Oreille.

Coeur d’Alene, 35-24

Lake City (2-2) at Eisenhower (0-2), 6 p.m. 

NELKE: The Timberwolves should be used to traveling deep into Washington, having played at Gig Harbor last week. Even better, Lake City won that one on the road. 

Lake City, 35-16 

ELLIOTT: Lake City has some things figured out, which is going to make things interesting here in a few weeks.

Lake City 42-20

McDONALD: The Timberwolves are starting to look comfortable, which is a good thing as they head into the scariest stretch of their season.

Lake City, 28-20

St. Maries (0-4) at Timberlake (1-4), 7 p.m. 

NELKE: The Tigers broke into the win column last week in the first of back-to-back meetings with Central Idaho League teams.     

Timberlake, 61-14 

ELLIOTT: Timberlake needs to start stacking some wins together to make it back to the playoffs. This should be one.

Timberlake, 45-20

McDONALD: The Tigers got their first win of the season last week by running the ball down Kellogg’s throat. I expect more of the same.

Timberlake, 45-14

Kellogg (1-3, 1-0 Central Idaho League) at Orofino (1-2, 0-0), 7 p.m. 

NELKE: Kellogg, 8-7 

ELLIOTT: Orofino, 14-12

McDONALD: The Wildcats’ play seems to resemble that of a heart rate monitor ... A lot of ups and downs with the occasional flatline. This week should be an up, but who knows at this point.

Kellogg, 45-20

Coeur du Christ (1-3) at Deary (1-3), 7 p.m. 

NELKE: Coming off its first win in program history last week, the visiting Saints get their first taste of small-school football in District 2. 

Coeur du Christ, 34-32 

ELLIOTT: Someone has to win, right? Might as well be the visitors.

Coeur du Christ, 24-22

McDONALD: The Saints are another team who has seemed to find joy in my suffering, but they did get their first win in program history last week. Maybe they keep the good times going and get win number two.

Coeur du Christ, 40-36

SATURDAY’S GAME 

Post Falls (4-0) at Glacier Peak (Snohomish, Wash.), 4 p.m. 

NELKE: The Grizzlies of Snohomish, Wash., have shut out their last two opponents, and are averaging 36.3 points per game. Then again, one of those foes has not scored a point all season, and the other has been blanked twice. It’s Post Falls’ second trip into Washington as well, having won two weeks ago over Eastmont in East Wenatchee. 

Post Falls, 28-24 

ELLIOTT: If Post Falls can play with some pace ... it should be a win. 

Glacier Peak, 27-24

McDONALD: This is going to be a test for the Trojans. Last week, Post Falls was tested in a way it probably didn’t expect and perhaps helped the Trojans refocus as they head into the final stretch of the season.

Post Falls, 31-28