These boys, they can sure fly

Some often call 8-man football games track meets with huddles.

Well, it wasn’t an 8-man game, but those in attendance for Saturday’s showdown between Mead and Coeur d’Alene were treated to quite the track meet sans the handoffs with a baton.

IN ALL reality, what else might you have expected?

Coeur d’Alene returns a handful of players at skill positions, and maybe more importantly, returned its quarterback — Colson Yankoff — from a knee injury for the first time this season.

In the team’s first two games of the season, a 56-33 loss at Folsom and 29-27 win at Central Valley, the team scored 62 points. Coeur d’Alene put up 62 in three quarters on Saturday.

“For a first home game, all that matters is winning the game,” Coeur d’Alene coach Shawn Amos said. “We certainly had a lot of ‘owies,’ but no major injuries. We’ve certainly got a lot of tough games down the road.”

The Vikings will host Moses Lake on Friday night at Viking Stadium.

“They’re a very good team, too,” Amos said of Moses Lake. “They’re loaded on defense as well. We play them often, and understand what they’re going to try and do. Stopping them and making players is going to be a challenge. Moses Lake is always a tough, physical team.”

When the teams met in 2015, Coeur d’Alene clipped Moses Lake by a field goal, 17-14, at home. Coeur d’Alene beat Moses Lake 49-28 in last year’s game at Moses Lake.

BACK TO the track meet — or excuse me, Saturday’s game.

Yankoff, in his season debut, finished with 183 yards passing and 161 yards rushing, a bulk coming on touchdown runs of 73 and 75 yards.

“He’s really good,” Amos said of Yankoff. “I’m sure he’ll evaluate himself pretty rough too, but he’s a special playmaker. But he needs to get better too.”

Caleb Beggerly, a 6-foot, 215-pound running back/linebacker, finished with 191 yards rushing and two touchdowns. His punt return of 88 yards opened the scoring. His touchdown run in the third quarter 88 yards capped the scoring for Coeur d’Alene.

“The offensive line, they were killing it tonight,” Beggerly said. “I could drive a truck through those holes. I just had one guy to beat, and Sam (Matheson) had a couple of big blocks on the outside to get me going down the sideline.”

Coeur d’Alene had receptions from eight different receivers in the game as well.

“Having Colson back takes the pressure off everyone else,” Beggerly said. “When Brady (Thompson) and Carter (Friesz) were in there, they’re both good quarterbacks, but not quite the run threat he is. When we’ve got Colson at quarterback, with the run and pass threat, it’s tough to stop.”

Give them a few more weeks together, they could be even better by the time they entertain Lewiston in the 5A Inland Empire League opener on Oct. 6.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at (208) 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JECdAPress.