STATE 2A FOOTBALL QUARTERFINALS: Here's what Brown did for Lumberjacks

MOSCOW — Often times before the game starts, St. Maries coaches wonder just who is going to be that player to get the hot hand and help carry the offensive load.

So what did (St. Maries senior running back Kaleb) Brown do for the Lumberjacks on Saturday?

A little bit of everything.

Brown finished with 118 yards rushing, including a 60-yard dash late in the fourth quarter to seal a 33-14 win over the North Fremont Huskies in the quarterfinals of the state 2A playoffs Saturday at the Kibbie Dome.

“I was just excited to get out there and play,” Brown said, “and to be out on the field. There was a big hole put forth by our lineman on that play and they really did a good job of opening a hole on that run.”

St. Maries opened the scoring on the second play of the game as senior defensive lineman Brady Martin scooped up a fumble and ran 26 yards for a touchdown.

“All week, we were working with Nate (Masterson) and Donaven (Rottini) on the strong side, because that’s their strength,” Martin said. “And me and Dakota (Wilson) on the other side, because I’m good at playing down the line. I was playing my spot, picked it up and ran it in.”

St. Maries forced four turnovers, recovering three fumbles and getting a late interception on a tipped pass from Dylan Edwards to Bryant Asbury to close out the game.

“We played really well at times and others we were susceptible to the run and the pass,” Martin said. “And that’s not how we play. We really turned it around late.”

Trailing 27-14, North Fremont attempted a fourth-down pass from the St. Maries 4-yard line with 3:30 remaining, but it was deflected away by Jake Sieler in the end zone.

“Our defense has been what we’ve leaned on all year,” St. Maries coach Craig Tefft said. “Sometimes, we’ve been really good offensively, but our defense has always been there for us. Which is a good thing to have. I’d rather have an outstanding defense than offense anyday. I’m proud of the way those kids flew around and played today.”

Rottini finished with 12 carries for 79 yards and two touchdowns for St. Maries (10-0). It is the best record for the program dating back to at least 1978.

“It was a complete team effort today,” Tefft said. “And that’s something that we try and do. I want to get kids touches that deserve them. We don’t need one kid to hog it all, and it keeps them fresh to play defense and special teams. It’s a philosphy thing.”

St. Maries previously won nine games in 1985 and 1995 — both seasons coached by Curt Carr — the highest win total for the school since 1978.

“I just think this group of seniors is hungry,” Tefft said. “They’ve been through a lot in their careers. We were talking about it before the game, and finishing, and finishing and finishing. Today was a good example of finishing that.”

St. Maries beat Melba in the opening round in St. Maries to advance, then opted to play at the Kibbie Dome this week, instead of at home.

“It was amazing to be here,” Brown said of playing in the dome. “It just makes you run faster, and I enjoy that.

St. Maries lost in its previous two trips to the quarterfinals — both on the road — at Orofino in 2014 and at Aberdeen in 2015. The Lumberjacks will travel to face Bear Lake next weekend in the semifinals.

“Right now, it doesn’t matter where we play,” Martin said. “Everyone at this point is a great team. We’ll have to work just as hard to get it done next week.

North Fremont (6-4) beat winless Wendell 77-22 in the opening round last week. The Huskies had three first-half turnovers and scored on a 6-yard fumble return by Jordan Sharp just before halftime.

“We played really scattered that first half,” North Fremont coach Ben Lenz said. “With the turnovers and that, we dug ourselves a hole. Once we settled down and got into the flow of things, we battled back and I was proud of how our kids fought. We just didn’t have enough in the tank to finish it. St. Maries, they’re a good team. They’re well balanced and play well on both offense and defense.”

Garrett Hawkes had 104 yards receiving and 39 rushing for North Fremont.

“It was a lot of our own mistakes,” Lenz said. “We just didn’t execute some plays the right way and ran a pitch the wrong way. It was beating ourselves. They didn’t change anything, and it just took us too long to get going.”

North Fremont 0 7 7 0 — 14

St. Maries 15 6 0 12 — 33

First quarter

SM — Brady Martin 26 fumble return (Bryant Asbury kick), 11:13

SM — Donaven Rottini 13 run (Kiefer Gibson run), :45

Second quarter

SM — Martin 18 pass from Gibson (kick failed), 4:16

NF — Jordan Sharp 6 fumble return (Garrett Hawkes kick), 1:03

Third quarter

NF — Blake Oberhansley 31 pass from Hawkes (Hawkes kick), 2:23

Fourth quarter

SM — Rottini 19 run (run failed), 10:35

SM — Dylan Edwards 5 run (pass failed), 3:34

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — NF, Sa. Dye 14-40, Hawkes 8-39, St. Dye 10-20, Bell 1-19, Cordingley 1-5. SM, Rottini 12-79, Masterson 2-27, Gibson 6-20, Wilson 11-25, Brown 9-118, Asbury 1-4, Renfrew 1-3, Edwards 2-9.

PASSING — NF, St. Dye 5-7-1-107, Hawkes, 1-3-0-31. SM, Gibson, 8-15-0-98.

RECEIVING — NF, Hawkes 4-104, Oberhansley 2-35. SM, Sieler 3-38, Wilson 2-4, Martin 1-18, Asbury 1-25, Brown 1-25.