The Front Row with JASON ELLIOTT Nov. 9, 2011
Just short.
Nobody wants to finish the season this way, no matter if you're a professional football team or a high school team with dreams of a state championship.
Others will dream about what could have been.
IN THE case of some teams, last Friday or Saturday was the final time they'll take the football field.
It was no secret that Middleton High liked to run the football and brought a strong ground game to Rathdrum to face Lakeland in a state 4A playoff game.
And the Vikings then proceeded to run the ball 39 times, throwing only twice in a 42-20 Middleton win.
The game was close at halftime with Middleton leading 21-13, but the inability of Lakeland to keep the opposing offense off the field in the second half was a factor in the Vikings outscoring the Hawks 21-0 before a late Lakeland touchdown.
Middleton has also been to the state playoffs four straight seasons, while Lakeland was making its first state playoff appearance since 2007.
With Friday's win, it also marked the first time that Middleton had made it out of that opening round game.
Had Lakeland been able to get a couple of stops on defense, or maybe a few more turnovers, who knows what could have happened?
As the Hawks continue to get experience in these kind of games, the wins will come down the road.
JUST A few miles up Highway 41 on Saturday, Timberlake hosted Weiser in a 3A playoff game that saw a lot of the same things - strong running, good defense and just enough for a win.
This game, just like the Lakeland game, was close at half with Weiser leading 14-7.
Weiser scored coming out of halftime and the Tigers were unable to get their offense going as they soon found themselves on the wrong side of a 34-7 final score.
Timberlake has qualified for the 3A playoffs for nine straight years under coach Roy Albertson, advancing to the semifinals three times in that span.
When Lakeland and Timberlake faced off earlier this season in Rathdrum, you could almost sense it was a preview of two potential playoff teams.
Especially with a final score of 29-26 in favor of Lakeland, if you had a chance to see a rematch - even though they are in different classifications - most fans may have liked to see it again.
Unfortunately, both teams are now finished for the season, thinking about what could have been.
A few more first downs, a couple more tackles and a couple more forced turnovers, chances are they're game planning for a semifinal game instead of basketball season.
But that didn't happen and the reality is that either basketball or wrestling practice will be here a lot sooner now.
Disappointing? Not necessarily.
Just a little short is more like it.
Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected].