STATE 2A FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: Ready for that sweet finish

It has been a while since the St. Maries High football team has tasted the success they’ve had so far in 2016.

They’ve advanced to the state playoffs a handful of times since that first appearance in 1985, when they had a current Division I football coach under center.

This Friday, they’ll compete for the first state title in program history at Holt Arena in Pocatello, something that no amount of talent could land beforehand.

“It’s great for them,” said former St. Maries coach Curt Carr, who has since retired after a stint at Lakeland High, serving as assistant principal. “It would be absolutely great if they could win the state title. Some of the players I coached on that team are dads to those players, and their sons could win a state title. It would be totally fitting with all the battles they went through and get it even.”

Some of the dads include Jason (Caden) Hall and Andy Gibson (Kiefer).

“It’s neat to see,” Carr said. “Their dads have been football guys, so maybe their sons will get it. It would be beautiful to see that happen.”

When Carr was coach, St. Maries played in a 3A Intermountain League that included Lakeland and Moscow (now 4A) and Wallace (now 1A Division I, as well as Priest River, Bonners Ferry and Kellogg. Timberlake didn’t open until 1998.

St. Maries ran through that league this year, going unbeaten against Timberlake, Priest River, Bonners Ferry and Kellogg.

Carr went 76-48 in 13 years as coach at St. Maries.

“That league was extremely tough in the 90s,” Carr said. “My first couple of years, we won four games in three years. We didn’t have weightlifting or physical education classes. There was no junior tackle program, and you really had to battle to get players to play football. It was quite the battle, and when we’d get a home playoff game, we’d have to play somewhere else because our field wasn’t in good enough shape.”

There were also times when St. Maries was good, like 7-2 in 1989 and 1997 good, and had to stay home from the playoffs after finishing third.

“Lakeland was the defending state champions, and Bonners was the No. 2 team, and we’re sitting at home,” Carr said. “It was a tough league. Back then, we’d beat Wallace for the first time in 17 years. Bonners, Moscow and some of the other players we had to play against, they ended up starting in the NFL. They were really good, and it was a rough league. Lakeland was the dominant team, but there would be times they’d get knocked off.”

Fast forward a few years to these days at St. Maries, things have improved, from the weight room to the football field.

“It’s just gorgeous,” Carr said. “We never had a field like that. I went to Jack Buell and started to get some things, and get a good weightlifting program going. They’ve got their stuff together now.”

St. Maries — which lost its first nine games in the opening round — beat New Plymouth to advance to the quarterfinals in 2014 and 2015, but came up short in the quarterfinals in 2014 to Orofino and 2015 to Aberdeen.

“We had to go and play Moscow in 1985 on the turf,” Carr said. “Our field was so bad, and I wished we could have played at home. It would have been to our advantage, but it made their guys quicker and it was hot.”

On that team was quarterback Eric Russell, who is now in his second season as Director of Player Personnel and Special Teams coach at TCU.

“We had to get them to believe they can win,” Carr said. “We were playing OK, but when we beat Wallace, we took off. We beat that (Nick) Menegas group from Post Falls that finished second at state, but went on a good run and both us and Lakeland were the top two teams state. When I got an injury, it wasn’t just one spot on the field, it was two. We were playing those teams and getting beat up.”

In 1991, the Lumberjacks cleared that Lakeland hurdle, winning in overtime to advance as league champions to the state playoffs. A week later, St. Maries lost to Kuna 22-7 in the opening round of the 3A playoffs.

“We were a very good team and were able to squeak that game out against Lakeland,” Carr said. “We had a very physical team and a powerful offense. Kuna just had a power receiver we couldn’t match up with.”

On Friday, St. Maries matches up with Declo (10-2), which beat Aberdeen 28-18 to advance to title game last Friday, a game that current coach Craig Tefft was able to see in person.

“They’ve got two really dynamic running backs,” Tefft said. “They run the ball really well and are a well-coached team. It’s going to be another great game.”

Declo won at Orofino 22-13 on Oct. 7 and beat Grangeville in the quarterfinals of the playoffs 39-20 at Declo on Nov. 4.

St. Maries lost punter Glover Buell due to injury for the season in the Bear Lake game.

“That kind of took us out of our game on special teams,” Tefft said. “But we’ll be ready this week.”

Carr added that with some of his former players — now fathers to the current batch of Lumberjacks — have a chance to get that elusive title is just as great of a feeling.

“Those guys had it very tough, but I think their sons could get it done,” Carr said. “There were times we had to play four games in two weeks. We’d have to go down to play Orofino because we wouldn’t let them in the league, play on Friday, then Lakeland for the league title, had to go back to Orofino for a play-in game and then play Weiser. Things have cleaned up more in St. Maries. Our team, we had our shots. Now their parents, they think if I can’t do it, maybe my son could.”

“These guys have a chance to go a little further than their dads and I could take them,” Carr said. “And that would be great, and fitting. All of that frustration from 1991, they deserve it. Seeing some of those guys like Eric and (former Post Falls High football coach and current Montana State football coach Jeff) Choate, they’ve always been successful. Both of them are big time coaches now. Those programs, they’re the real deal. Seeing them have that kind of success, it brings tears to your eyes. I really hope St. Maries gets it done.”