Viks' speed buries West Linn
<p>Coeur d'Alene quarterback Gunnar Amos switches directions on the West Linn High defense for extra yardage.</p>
<p>Coeur d'Alene High receiver Camden Doering keeps himself from going down after behind hit by Mario Mastrandrea from West Linn High in the first half of the Viking's 58-20 win over the Lions. Doering would make it to the end zone in the 46-yard play.</p>
<p>Coeur d'Alene quarterback Gunnar Amos battles his way through the West Linn High defense.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE - Think this year's Coeur d'Alene High football team can't play as fast as the Viking teams from the past two seasons?
Think again.
On Friday night, the Viks sped from their own 36 to the opponent's end zone in just 16.8 seconds.
That was a beat-the-clock drive at the end of the first half, part of Coeur d'Alene's 58-20 pummelling of West Linn (Ore.) at Viking Field.
Most teams would probably run the clock out, leading 27-6 late in the second quarter, ball on their 36 and just 22.2 seconds left. But the Vikings, ranked No. 1 in 5A in Idaho, have long proven they’re not like most teams.
Quarterback Gunnar Amos hit junior Addison Johnson for 13 yards, and the Vikings quickly lined up as the clock was stopped to move the chains. Amos then hit Reece Mahaffy on a seam route down the right side, and Mahaffy dodged a couple West Linn defensive backs and raced to the end zone to complete the 51-yard scoring play with 5.4 seconds left in the half.
“That’s what I was thinking too,” Amos said of the Vikings running out the clock. “But with a no-huddle (offense), anything can happen; we can move so fast; we can strike so quickly. It actually helped us that they went into that prevent defense.”
For a while, this game was competitive, before the Vikings (2-0) piled touchdown onto touchdown and made it a laugher en route to their 23rd straight victory. Coeur d’Alene scored on five of its seven first-half possessions, and scored three quick touchdowns to start the third quarter.
Amos, a junior making his second varsity start, passed for five touchdowns and rushed for two more — and his work was done for the night just three minutes into the third quarter.
Amos finished 13 for 19 for 359 yards, and rushed for 88 yards on nine carries. Coeur d’Alene totaled 572 yards of offense. Last week, the Vikings beat Skyview of Nampa 40-36, but coach Shawn Amos said there was much room for improvement.
“I was pretty happy with the tempo we played at; the kids kept dialed in the whole time,” said Shawn Amos, Gunnar’s dad. “I think we made huge strides from last week, because I think that’s a pretty good football team. It was not one big thing; it was a thousand little things we needed to get better at, and I think we chipped away at that list of things we need to get better at.”
Shawn Amos said the Vikings try to get as many snaps per game as they possibly can. He said one reason for the improvement this week was that the snaps were better from senior center Cameron Dominguez.
“We have a number of guys that can score quickly, and once we do our tempo kinda wears on them,” Amos said.
Johnson, part of the Vikings’ speed on offense, caught four passes for 161 yards and three touchdowns — on plays of 60, 66 and 22 yards.
The first one was set up by a pump fake from Amos, allowing Johnson to race past the defender and haul in the pass. The second one, on the first play of the third quarter, was a short pass in the left flat, and Mahaffy’s block on the edge sprung Johnson down the left sideline for the score. The last score was a roll right, throw back left from Amos, and Johnson deked two tacklers and ran through three arm tackles into the end zone.
West Linn, in its season opener, trailed just 7-6 after scoring early in the second quarter, and totaled a respectable 302 yards. Junior Louie Germain rushed for 106 yards on 16 carries, helped by the blocking of 6-foot-4, 285-pound right tackle Evan Voeller, who has committed to Oregon.
But once the Viks started scoring, the Lions couldn’t keep up.
“Their team speed is exceptional,” first-year West Linn coach Mike Fanger said. “When they get it going, it just snowballs.”
Coeur d’Alene plays host to Mercer Island (Wash.) next Saturday.
West Linn 0 6 0 14 — 20
Coeur d’Alene 7 27 24 0 — 58
Cd’A — Chase Blakley 4 pass from Gunnar Amos (Parker Wilson kick)
WL — Joel Larson 9 pass from Matt Fletcher (kick blocked)
Cd’A — Amos 2 run (kick failed)
Cd’A — Amos 60 run (Wilson kick)
Cd’A — Addison Johnson 60 pass from Amos (Wilson kick)
Cd’A — Reece Mahaffy 51 pass from Amos (Wilson kick)
Cd’A — Johnson 66 pass from Amos (Wilson kick)
Cd’A — Johnson 22 pass from Amos (Wilson kick)
Cd’A — Mahaffy blocked kick recovery in end zone (Wilson kick)
Cd’A — FG Wilson 38
WL — Nic Sullwold 27 run (Zach Nelson kick)
WL — Kenney Whitbey 2 fumble recovery (Nelson kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — WL, Germain 16-106, Kallien 4-(minus 30), Fletcher 3-(minus 26), Tuor 6-12, Sullwold 4-35, Newromes 4-38, Whitbey 1-2, Mazzia 1-1, Wagner 1-3. Cd’A, Mort 6-23, Amos 9-88, Johnson 2-4, Mahaffy 1-15, Dahlheimer 2-(minus 2), Daniels 2-0, Gorringe 2-5, Green 6-37, Belmont 1-6, Berger 3-12.
PASSING — Kallien 5-11-0-39, Fletcher 12-22-0-122. Cd’A, Amos 13-19-0-359, Williams 1-2-0-25, Daniels 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING — Davis 2-26, Germain 2-24, No. 82 1-17, Larson 2-14, Schmitz 1-11, Mastrandea 1-(minus 2), Tuor 1-(minus 1), Gans 3-32, Sullwold 4-35, Vogt 2-24. Cd’A, Carlson 5-78, Blakley 1-4, Mort 1-22, Doering 1-43, Johnson 4-161, Mahaffy 1-51, Gorringe 1-25.