Pearson's 'coming-out party' — sophomore QB wins first varsity start, Van Leuven runs for four TDs for Timberwolves

By MARK NELKE 

Sports editor 

COEUR d'ALENE — Sophomore Jax Pearson began the season as the starting quarterback for the Lake City High junior varsity football team. 

In a couple of weeks, Pearson will be tasked with trying to guide the Timberwolves into the state playoffs for the first time since 2019. 

Pearson, in his first varsity start, completed 13 of 24 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown as Lake City defeated the visiting Sandpoint Bulldogs 35-27 on Friday night at Van Troxel Field. 

"It's great to step up and win a game like this," said Pearson, who continued to play in JV games (until this week), and suited up with the varsity (wearing No. 40) as a backup. 

"That was the lowest number they had," he said. 

Sure, much of his job was handing the ball to senior Brayden Van Leuven, who powered for 194 yards and four touchdowns on 30 carries, giving him 12 TD runs in the past four games, three of them victories. 

But he was also entrusted to make big throws twice late in the game, hitting Landon Leveque both times, the first time to keep the chains moving, the second to boost Lake City's lead to 35-21. 

"We wanted to slow-roll him out, put him in low-pressure situations," Hout said of Pearson. "What we saw is, he's ready to go now. He's played a full half of a game, the lights don't bother him anymore. He had his coming-out party tonight." 

Leveque, a junior, finished with 112 yards receiving on eight catches. One play after a potential TD pass slipped through his fingers, Leveque ran the same route on fourth down for the catch and score from 14 yards out. 

Lake City (4-2) scored on its third play from scrimmage, Van Leuven racing 47 yards up the gut for a touchdown. 

Later in the quarter, Sandpoint fumbled a punt and Lake City junior Nicholas Smith recovered, leading to a 4-yard run by Van Leuven and a 14-0 lead. 

Sandpoint (4-2) answered when Logan Iverson connected with Knox Williams for an 18-yard touchdown. 

Lake City answered with a 14-play, 70-yard drive. Pearson kept it going with a couple of completions, and Van Leuven ran the final yard for a 21-7 halftime lead. 

Sandpoint, which had three turnovers in the first half (two on interceptions by Dayne Powers and Landon Capaul), scored on its first two drives of the second half to tie it. 

First, running back Trenton Cross took a screen pass from Iverson, and, sprung by a block from offensive lineman Owen Erickson, sped 21 yards down the sideline for six. 

Iverson then plunged in from a yard out to tie it at 21 with 11:54 left in the game. 

But the Bulldogs committed a personal foul on the ensuing kickoff, and on the next play Van Leuven, with nowhere to go up the middle, bounced it outside and took it 45 yards to the house. 

Pearson then connected with Leveque on fourth and 11 from the Bulldog 14 for a two-touchdown lead. 

Sandpoint got it back within a score with Iverson hooked up with Jack Schriber from 9 yards out with 3:49 left. Lake City's Liam McWilliams blocked the extra point. 

Lake City starting quarterback Britton Johnston, a senior, suffered a lower leg injury in the season opener and hasn't played since. 

The T-Wolves moved junior Knox Keogh from wide receiver to quarterback in Week 2, with the plan to ease Pearson into the varsity QB role slowly. Last week, Pearson came off the bench and got some reps with the varsity in a 36-0 loss to Highland in Butte, Mont. 

"It just gave me confident," Pearson said of the playing time last week. "If you make a mistake ... next play. I was definitely a little nervous, but I had nothing to lose. Just went out and tried my best." 

Keogh moved back to receiver on Friday, and hooked up with Leveque on a 35-yard completion off a reverse, setting up Lake City's second score. 

The T-Wolves are optimistic Johnston will return near the end of the season, but ... 

Last week, a vehicle breakdown meant Lake City's equipment didn't show up until 5 minutes before the game. Lightning delayed the start of the game a half-hour, and six T-Wolves suffered injuries, including four starters, one a starting wide receiver in an abbreviated pregame warmup. 

"That's a testament to our culture; the next guy's ready to go," Hout said. "Right now, we are a team, and we believe in each other." 

Iverson passed for 231 yards, 164 of those in the second half. Sandpoint managed just 49 rushing yards. 

"Sandpoint, they are a physical team, and they want to be physical," Hout said. "We challenged our defense to be the physical ones, and minus a couple missed tackles, we were a physical team. Our guys weren't happy how they played last week, and they were ready to get back out there." 

Lake City has a bye next week, then opens 6A Inland Empire League play Oct. 9 at home vs. Post Falls.

Sandpoint     7    0    7    13    —    27 

Lake City     14    7    0    14    —    35 

First quarter 

LC — Brayden Van Leuven 47 run (kick failed), 9:35 

LC — Van Leuven 4 run (Paxton Grant pass from Jax Pearson), 3:44 

Spt — Knox Williams 18 pass from Logan Iverson (Brock Yarbrough kick), :40 

Second quarter 

LC — Van Leuven 1 run (Dayne Powers kick), 6:54 

Third quarter 

Spt — Trenton Cross 21 pass from Logan Iverson (Yarbrough kick), 5:58 

Fourth quarter 

Spt — Iverson 1 run (Yarbrough kick), 11:54 

LC — Van Leuven 45 run (Powers kick), 11:28 

LC — Landon Leveque 14 pass from Pearson (Powers kick), 5:22 

Spt — Jack Schriber 9 pass from Iverson (kick blocked), 3:49 

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS 

RUSHING — Spt, Cross 17-35, Iverson 3-7, Yarbrough 1-7. LC, Van Leuven 30-194, Salsbury 1-3, Pearson 10-(minus 4). 

PASSING — Spt, Iverson 18-33-2-231. LC, Pearson 13-24-0-152, Keogh 1-1-0-35. 

RECEIVING — Spt, Yarbrough 7-94, Cross 5-67, Schriber 4-41, Williams 2-26, Tomlinson 1-3. LC, Leveque 8-112, Keogh 3-38, Grant 2-24, Salsbury 1-10. 

    JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY Lake City senior Ryan Salsbury (22) runs after a first-quarter catch against Sandpoint on Friday night at Van Troxel Field in Coeur d'Alene.