Middleton runs down Lakeland in 4A quarters

RATHDRUM - First they danced.

Then the Middleton Vikings ran for 449 yards as a team as they beat the Lakeland Hawks 42-20 in the quarterfinals of the state 4A playoffs Friday night at Corbit Field in Rathdrum.

Following the opening coin flip, the Middleton Vikings performed a pregame dance ritual similar to that of the Hawaii Warrior football team.

"We just couldn't stop them tonight," Lakeland coach Tim Kiefer said. "We didn't make the stops on defense we needed to."

Lakeland drove the field on the opening possession of the game, but had a 25-yard field goal by Cade Coffey go wide left to come away with zero points.

Tailback Victor Dias took Middleton’s first play from scrimmage 80 yards for the opening touchdown and an 8-0 lead following a two-point conversion.

Middleton struck again as Michael Carr scored from 2 yards out to take a 15-0 lead early in the second quarter.

“That’s what we do,” said Middleton coach Bill Brock of his team’s option offense. “We wanted to take a couple shots in the passing game, but that’s our identity and what we do. Our kids have worked hard all year long. Lakeland is a good team. This is a big win for us. We’ve been in this spot the last four years, and it feels good to get past this point.”

Lakeland tailback Chadley Miller took a toss play 37 yards, eventually scoring on a 10-yard run to cut the deficit to 15-6. Lakeland recovered an onside kick and moved within two points as Corey Hansel scored on a 14-yard run to make it 15-13 with 5:32 remaining in the first half.

Middleton scored less than two minutes later as Dias took an option from quarterback Brady Winfield 49 yards to give the Vikings a 21-13 halftime lead.

“We had our chance right there,” Kiefer said. “We just couldn’t get the stop we needed.”

Middleton, which threw just two passes in the game, opened the second half with a six-minute drive, capped by an 8-yard touchdown run by Hyder Jessup to make it 27-13.

Lakeland failed to convert a fourth-down pass with 1:41 remaining as Middleton scored again on an 8-yard run by Cole Lowe to take a commanding 35-13 lead with 11:03 remaining in the fourth quarter.

On the Hawks’ ensuing possession, quarterback Eric Cooper threw a pass to sophomore Brett Webb that was intercepted by Max Foote to end any hopes of a Lakeland rally.

“It was a little of both,” said Kiefer of the Hawks offense, which had scored 99 points in its previous two games. “We just weren’t executing on either side of the ball.”

Miller finished with 75 yards rushing and 31 receiving for Lakeland (6-4), which qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2007. Dias finished with 129 yards rushing and two touchdowns for Middleton (9-2), which hosts Pocatello next Friday in a semifinal game.

“We came out and put our hearts on our sleeves,” Miller said. “At halftime, we just wanted to be back out on the field. Had we been able to stop them right before half, it could have gone our way.”

Middleton lost to Pocatello 43-22 on Sept. 16 at Holt Arena in Pocatello.

Middleton 8 13 7 14 — 42

Lakeland 0 13 0 7 — 20

Mid — Victor Dias 80 run (Brady Winfield run)

Mid — Michael Carr 2 run (Tylan Tullock kick)

LL — Chadley Miller 10 run (kick failed)

LL — Corey Hansel 14 run (Cade Coffey kick)

Mid — Dias 49 run (run failed)

Mid — Hyder Jessup 8 run (Tullock kick)

Mid — Cole Lowe 8 run (Tullock kick)

Mid — Carr 20 run (Tullock kick)

LL — Derek Bayley 1 run (Coffey kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Mid, Foote 3-100, Dias 12-129, Jessup 10-120, Payne 1-12, Lowe 1-10, Carr 5-62, Pero 2-0, Squibb 1-4, Yeakley 1-2, Tullock 2-12. LL, Hansel 13-53, Cooper 6-15, Miller 10-77, Carr 6-18, Campbell 1-(-3), Webb 1-5.

PASSING — Mid, Winfield 0-2-0-0. LL, Cooper 13-23-1-153. Bayley 2-5-0-21.

RECEIVING — Mid, none. LL, Horne 1-5, Campbell 3-20, Miller 4-31, Dickens 1-16, Webb 5-104.