STATE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS: Madison 'skill guys' concern Vikings

St. Maries hits road for 2A quarterfinal

Madison and Coeur d’Alene last faced each other in 2012, in the state 5A championship game at Holt Arena in Pocatello.

Madison won 37-30, but only the head coaches remain from that game, as this year’s seniors would have been freshmen then.

Madison (8-1) plays at Coeur d’Alene (7-2) tonight at 7 in a state 5A quarterfinal.

“They’re a great football team,” Coeur d’Alene coach Shawn Amos said of Madison. “I think most of the teams that are playing right now are good enough to win the state title. I think we’re also good enough, but it’s going to be a great matchup. They’re very good and they’ve got a lot of skill guys that are going to challenge us. We’re excited and those are the kinds of games you want to play and what we’re looking forward to.”

Madison quarterback Konner Stoneberg has passed for 1,898 yards and 20 touchdowns, with 11 interceptions. He is also the Bobcats’ second-leading rusher, and has run for 13 touchdowns. Josh Crane, a receiver who also has seen some time in the backfield in recent weeks, has nine touchdown receptions. Zach Anderson, whose brother Logan quarterbacked Madison to that 2012 title, has eight TD catches. Both have scholarship offers from Idaho State.

“They’ve got a lot of good skill guys,” Amos said. “They’ve got a skilled receiver and punt/kick returner (Crane) that they like really well, but they’ve also got other guys. They’ve got a good running back, their quarterback is very elusive and can run around. ... They don’t have any glaring weaknesses.”

After going 3-6 and missing the playoffs in 2013, Madison was back in the playoffs last season, beating Timberline of Boise in the first round before falling to Mountain View of Meridian in the quarterfinals, finishing 6-4.

Last week, Madison beat Timberline 49-7 in Rexburg in the first round of the playoffs.

The Bobcats have won six straight since a 23-22 home loss to Highland, a game Madison led by nine points in the fourth quarter before the Rams rallied, blocking a Bobcat field goal on the game’s final play.

Coeur d’Alene won 27-3 at Highland earlier this season. Madison won 21-13 over Skyline, a team that beat a shorthanded Coeur d’Alene squad 22-0 in the season opener at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow.

After dropping its season opener, Coeur d’Alene rattled off seven straight victories before dropping its regular season finale to Post Falls two weeks ago. By winning the 5A Inland Empire League title, the Vikings had a bye last week.

“One thing that’s nice is we’re a little more healthy and we’ve got some legs that are a little fresher,” Amos said. “Those little bumps and bruises have decreased a little. In the playoffs, it’s going to come down to execution and discipline, because they’re going to be good, we’re good. It’s going to come down to whoever executes the best.”

Coeur d’Alene is in the state playoffs for the seventh straight season.

St. Maries (8-1) at Aberdeen (9-0): Aberdeen runs a double-wing offense, nicknamed the “Sniffer.”

“I feel like we match up with them very well,” St. Maries coach Craig Tefft said. “They’re not real flashy, but they pound teams into submission. I think they try to wear people out.”

At times, Aberdeen overloads their linemen and run their backs to one side or the other, with pulling offensive linemen flying around, he said.

“They pack everything in real tight,” Tefft said. “They try to mow you over with extra blockers. The biggest challenge is our defensive linemen have to get in there and our linebackers have to plug some holes.”

It’s the first time St. Maries will travel to eastern Idaho for a playoff game. Aberdeen is located 39 miles southwest of Pocatello.

Aberdeen defeated Firth 25-12 in its playoff opener last week.

St. Maries downed New Plymouth 35-0 last week in the first postseason game played in St. Maries since 1991.