Vikings celebrate another league title

By MARK NELKE 

Sports editor 

COEUR d’ALENE — League championships are always special, no matter how many a team has won. 

And each one has its own uniqueness. 

Coeur d’Alene’s 2025 6A Inland Empire League football championship is a tribute to the depth of the Viking program. 

Coeur d’Alene has been beset by injuries, but others have stepped up, and that depth was on display Friday night as the Vikings defeated the Post Falls Trojans 42-0 to win the league title at Viking Field. 

"Winning a league title is not something you should take for granted,” said Shawn Amos, in his 28th season as Coeur d’Alene coach. “It takes all the stuff these kids do in the offseason that our kids are willing to do; they’ve put themselves in this position.” 

Senior Ty Paulin rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries for Coeur d’Alene (5-3, 2-0 6A IEL), which will receive a first-round bye in the state playoffs in two weeks, then will host a quarterfinal playoff game the weekend of Nov. 7. 

Tannar Stern completed his last seven passes and finished 9 for 15 for 154 yards and a pair of 42-yard touchdown passes, one to senior Riley Frazier and the other to senior George Mitchell. Stern also ran for 49 yards and a score. 

Frazier finished with three catches for 48 yards. Senior Bennett Jockheck also had three receptions — all on the same scoring drive in the third quarter — for 36 yards. 

Senior linebacker Ian Dahlin returned an interception 65 yards for a touchdown to cap a 21-point third quarter that boosted the Vikings’ lead to 35-0.  

In addition to already losing starting quarterback Caden Symons (collarbone) and running back Christian Young (knee) for the season, Coeur d’Alene lost junior wideout Gibson Comstock (ankle) for the season in last week’s win at Lake City. 

Two other starters are also out with injuries, but are expected back for the postseason. 

It was Coeur d’Alene’s third straight league title, and eighth time in the last nine seasons the Vikings have won or shared the league title. 

“We really have gutted it out the last two weeks,” Amos said. “And I’ll be honest, so has Post Falls. They showed up and battled. But a lot of kids stepped up in a lot of different areas. It was awesome to see those kids stepped up.” 

Post Falls (3-5, 0-1), down to its third quarterback and without standout lineman Alexander Scholes for the season with a knee injury, had just 28 total yards in the first half and finished with 124. Coeur d’Alene totaled 351 yards, 197 on the ground. 

In the first half, Coeur d’Alene eventually benefitted from winning the field-position battle, as Post Falls struggled to make first downs, punting on all five of its possessions. 

The normally high-octane Trojans have scored just 48 points in their last five games. 

"Again, we’re struggling to score points,” Bennett said. “Congratulations to Shawn and the Vikings; I hope they do really well in the playoffs. They controlled the entire second half. We were backed up (in the first half), and that’s always tough when you’re not moving the ball. I thought our defense played well.” 

Coeur d’Alene drove 57 yards for its first score, Paulin taking it the final 31. 

Post Falls then went three-and-out, and Coeur d’Alene took over at the Trojans 39. Priest Palmgren ran for 30 yards on the first play, and Stern scored on the next play, and the Vikings led 14-0 at halftime. 

Coeur d’Alene took the second-half kickoff and drove 80 yards in 14 plays, with Palmgren taking it the final yard. The TD was set up by a screen pass from Stern to Daniel Shoup on fourth-and-4 from the 18 that covered 16 yards. Jockheck had catches of 12 and 24 yards on that drive. 

After Coeur d’Alene stuffed Post Falls on a fake punt, Stern went up top on the next play and found Frazier behind the Trojan defense for the 42-yard score. 

“It says something about those kids,” Amos said. “They bought in and stayed focused, they got their opportunities and they stepped up. 

Post Falls plays host to Lake City (2-6, 0-1 6A IEL) next Thursday in the league and regular-season finale. 

Coeur d’Alene wraps up the regular season next Friday against Life Christian Academy of Tacoma at Central Washington University in Ellensburg.

Post Falls        0    0    0    0    —    0 

Coeur d’Alene     0    14    21    7    —    42 

Second quarter  

Cd’A — Ty Paulin 31 run (Frankie Lopez kick), 7:40 

Cd’A — Tannar Stern 9 run (Lopez kick), 4:31 

Third quarter 

Cd’A — Priest Palmgren 1 run (Lopez kick), 6:25 

Cd’A — Riley Frazier 42 pass from Stern (Lopez kick), 4:40 

Cd’A — Ian Dahlin 65 interception return (Lopez kick), 2:59 

Fourth quarter Cd’A — George Mitchell 42 pass from Stern (Lopez kick), 9:10 

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS 

RUSHING — PF, Tomlinson 10-49, Felix 15-29, Reese 1-6. Cd’A, Paulin 10-101, Stern 14-49, Palmgren 5-45, Hackett 1-2, Strait 4-0. 

PASSING — PF, Reese 8-18-1-40. Cd’A, Stern 9-15-0-154. 

RECEIVING — PF, Carver 3-22, Matthews 3-8, Diaz 1-9, Kern 1-1. Cd’A — Frazier 3-48, Jockheck 3-36, Mitchell 2-54, Shoup 1-16. 

    MARK NELKE/Press Coeur d'Alene senior Daniel Shoup (9) heads upfield after catching a screen pass as Damian Hamilton (15) and Cruze Woydziak (11) pursue on Friday night at Viking Field.