The Front Row with Jason Elliott
There were fireworks.
And there was the coach, getting some help from a former NFL linebacker.
AFTER A two-week hiatus to deal with his battle with cancer, Post Falls High football coach Jeff Hinz returned to the sideline for the first time during Friday’s homecoming game between the Trojans and Lakeland Hawks.
And he was treated to quite the show by his team.
Post Falls scored two touchdowns on turnovers in a 62-7 nonleague win against the Hawks.
“It was a good night,” Hinz said.
Hinz coached from a wheelchair pushed by Chris Draft, who played eight years in the NFL for six different teams, including the Bears, 49ers, Panthers and Bills after graduating from Stanford in 1998. The two met while Hinz was attending seminars on player safety. Draft spoke to Post Falls athletes during an after school assembly Thursday afternoon.
In 2006, Draft established the Chris Draft Family Foundation, which focuses on eight primary initiatives with overarching themes that stress the importance of education, healthy lifestyles, character development, personal responsibility, self-discipline and physical fitness. To see more about his foundation, visit www.teamdraft.org.
During a 28-point outburst to take 35-7 halftime lead, Parker Walton — Hinz’s stepson — caught a 40-yard touchdown pass and threw for a 27-yard score for Post Falls, mixed in with a 31-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Gunnar Sciortino for the Trojans.
“It’s was just something that happened with the play calls,” Hinz said of the touchdowns. “It was good for Park and good for Gunnar to get going like that. I was just happy with the way the guys performed tonight.”
“Parker really shined tonight and showed he can be a big part of our offense,” Sciortino said. “It was a really good experience. For him and all of us, we put in the work during the summer and all want to be successful, and so does coach.”
Post Falls (3-2) has won two straight games and plays its final nonconference game at Moses Lake on Friday.
“They’re going to be a tough opponent,” Hinz said. “It will be a good road trip for us and help us get ready for league.”
THOUGH THE score might not have showed it, the Lakeland Hawks didn’t look the part of an 0-5 team, at least not early on in Friday’s game.
Lakeland recovered a fumble on the first play.
“To go out and play the kind of schedule we play with 10 to 15 sophomores, we’re putting our kids in a tough situation and difficult spot,” said Lakeland coach Tim Kiefer, whose team opened the season with a home game against 5A Lewiston. “They’re taking it hard because they want to win. Credit to them, we’re doing the best we can with the guys we got and the situation we’re in.”
Lakeland hosts its district rival Timberlake on Friday at Corbit Field in Rathdrum.
“Our motto and what we’ve been trying to do all season is get better each week,” Kiefer said. “And I don’t know if we’re doing that. It’s hard to tell when you play a team like Post Falls. The kids are playing hard and it’s a credit to them. A lot of the things that happened in the game were a result of us trying to be aggressive and trying to win the game.”
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 jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JEPressSports.