Kale's turn
COEUR d’ALENE — Last year as a junior, Kale Edwards watched as Colson Yankoff did some pretty amazing things as quarterback of the Coeur d’Alene Vikings.
But he never got to hit anybody like Edwards did.
However on offense, Edwards showed he was a dual threat just like his predecessor, passing for 169 yards and a touchdown, and rushing for 183 yards and two scores as Coeur d’Alene defeated Gonzaga Prep 28-14 in nonleague high school football Friday night at Viking Field.
“It was fun to learn from him, and watch him, and get to see how amazing he was, ” Edwards said. “It was fun to get in there and show what I’ve got.”
Shilo Morgan rushed for 118 yards and a score as Coeur d’Alene (2-0) outgained Gonzaga Prep, playing in its season opener, 483-236. The victory margin would have been worse except Coeur d’Alene turned the ball over three times in the first half, saw its punter lose a fumble in the second half that Prep ran in for a score, and had a punt blocked in the second half.
“Offensively, we were real efficient, especially after the first half. We turned the ball over three times in the first half — that stuff’s going to cost us down the road, if we don’t clean that up,” said Amos, who is sporting a boot on his right foot after suffering a torn Achilles tendon July 1 while playing pickleball against his son, Gunnar — a sophomore quarterback at Idaho State. He said he’ll be in the boot another 6-8 weeks. “We still have a lot of work to do.”
Coeur d’Alene turned the ball over on three of its five drives in the first half, including a lost fumble at the Bullpup 1.
Edwards rolled right and found Carter Friesz in the end zone from 10 yards out with 5 minutes left in the first quarter.
On the next possession, defensive end Nate Burch recovered a fumble that led to Morgan’s 9-yard run. Burch also had a sack and was in on several other defensive plays.
“We thought he was going to have this kind of year, and he’s really had a great first two games,” Amos said. “He plays with great energy, and his forte is sacking the quarterback.”
Edwards made it 20-0 on a 4-yard keeper midway through the third quarter. He made much of his yardage on scrambles, after making defenders miss in the backfield.
Connor Halonen rushed for 112 yards for Gonzaga Prep. The Bullpups totaled 228 yards on the ground, but only 8 through the air, as they passed just six times and completed two, making it hard to convert long-yardage situations and sustain drives.
Trailing 20-7, the Bullpups drove to the Coeur d’Alene 9 early in the fourth quarter. But the Viking defense rose up and stuck Prep for losses on third and fourth down, and Coeur d’Alene answered with an 83-yard drive, capped by Edwards’ 6-yard keeper around right end.
“Offensively they just sustained what they did,” Gonzaga Prep coach David McKenna said of Coeur d’Alene. “9 (Edwards) was tough to tackle, and 6 (Morgan) ran hard. You could see the difference between Week 1 and Week 2.”
Braeden Young had a fumble recovery and an interception in the first half for Prep
It was the teams’ first meeting since 1982, when Coeur d’Alene beat Gonzaga Prep for the second straight year. The teams are scheduled to play next year at G-Prep.
The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Edwards also plays safety for the Vikings, and doled out a few shots on defense — including one on his opposite number, Halonen.
“He’s a physical kid,” Amos said. “We’ve never had to (have the quarterback play defense), but we need him on defense, too. And I think he likes it — when you make a bad play at quarterback, he gets to run back out and whack somebody. I think he’s happier about that.”
“Defense is my first love,” Edwards said. “I love hitting people.”
Coeur d’Alene plays Mead next Friday at Eastern Washington University’s Roos Field in Cheney.
Gonzaga Prep 0 0 7 7 — 14
Coeur d’Alene 14 0 6 8 — 28
First quarter
Cd’A — Carter Friesz 10 pass from Kale Edwards(pass failed), 5:03
Cd’A — Shilo Morgan 9 run (Morgan run), :32
Third quarter
Cd’A — Edwards 4 run (kick blocked), 6:10
GP — Jacob Parola 15 fumble return (Eric Floyd kick), 2:22
Fourth quarter
Cd’A — Edwards 6 run (Ryan Linehan pass from Morgan), 4:19
GP — Cayden Kerr 5 run (Evan Duchesne kick), :54
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — GP, Halonen 20-112, Melzer 12-43, Pasadaba 3-8, Floyd 4-15, Holden 5-10, Keyes 2-24, Hojnacki 1-11, Kerr 1-5. Edwards 23-183, Morgan 21-118, Friesz 2-3, Guulio 1-3.
PASSING — GP, Halonen 1-5-0-13, Hojnacki 1-1-0-(minus 5). Cd’A — Edwards 17-20-1-169, Friesz 1-2-0-7.
RECEIVING — GP, Hojnacki 1-13, Melzer 1-(minus 5). Cd’A — Dixon 1-6, Brown 2-36, Crawford 2-28, C. Nosworthy 6-33, Friesz 1-10, Kay 1-9, L. Nosworthy 1-27, Garitone 2-9, Morgan 2-18.