Gone with the wind: Post Falls downed by Rocky Mountain in blustery state 5A quarterfinal

By MARK NELKE

Sports editor

POST FALLS — Gentry Smith crashed through the line on fourth down late in the third quarter, blocked a Rocky Mountain punt and recovered it at the Grizzlies’ 16.

Just the break the Post Falls Trojans needed, trailing by 10 points but with a blustery wind at their backs in the quarter.

“Yeah, I sure thought so at the time,” Smith said. “We just played our hearts out, and I couldn’t ask to be with better teammates; we grew as a team all year; nobody ever gave up that whole game, and I’m honored to be on this team.”

But, with the crowd coming to life, Post Falls gained five yards on three runs. On fourth down, an open receiver slipped in the flat on the soggy turf, and the pass fell incomplete.

Post Falls never really threatened again, and fell to Rocky Mountain of Meridian 22-0 in a state 5A quarterfinal game Friday night at Trojan Stadium.

“We had our chances in that third quarter,” Post Falls coach Blaine Bennett said. “I thought our defense played exceptionally well tonight, kept us in the game. Offensively, we just couldn’t get anything going, and obviously Rocky’s a very good football team, but we couldn’t generate enough offense to get any points.”

Post Falls, the top seed from the North, coming off its first outright league title since 1995, finishes 7-3.

Rocky Mountain (10-1), the third seed from the Boise area, advances to a state semifinal next Friday at home vs. defending champion Rigby (9-2).

“Our defense played great,” Post Falls senior defensive end Trevor Miller said. “Defensively, we played our hearts out, just like we have all season. Offense, it was just tough, but we fought the whole time.”

Actually, Post Falls had three chances to make a game of it in the third quarter, after trailing 10-0 at halftime.

After a Rocky punt traveled just 14 yards into the wind and rolled dead at the Grizzlies’ 37, Post Falls took advantage of a penalty which took the ball to the 23. But the Trojans gained just two yards in four plays.

After another punt, Post Falls took over at its own 48. But a 4-yard completion was followed by two incomplete passes, and the Trojans punted.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Post Falls punted on fourth and 19 from its 41. On the next play, the Trojans did not have a man lined up against CJ Jacobsen, who was flanked right. With Rocky’s coaches wildly waving their arms on the sideline near Jacobsen, quarterback Tegan Sweaney took the snap and threw quickly to Jacobsen, who sped down the sideline for a 52-yard score.

Art Williams, who rushed for 143 yards on 28 carries for Rocky, iced it with a 4-yard run with 4:03 left.

“They did a good job,” Rocky Mountain coach Chris Culig said of Post Falls. “On fourth down they ran that fake punt, and we’ve been kind of cheating the last couple of weeks on it, and it didn’t surprise me, so kudos to them; it was a really good call. We should have known better, them kicking into that 40 mile-an-hour wind, the likelihood of running a fake.”

Rocky came into the game giving up only 55 rushing yards per game. But Post Falls, starting at its 3 after mishandling the opening kickoff, ran the ball well on the opening series. A 17-yard run on a fake punt by backup running back Tevin Burns kept the drive alive, but the Grizzlies stopped the Trojans short on fourth and 2 from the 28.

Rocky was stopped a yard short on fourth and 2 at the Post Falls 4. But three plays later, Gage Tanner of Rocky tackled Jake Bustamante before he could get out of the end zone for a safety and the game’s first points with 6:41 left in the half.

The free kick by Post Falls was a liner that bounced off one of the Rocky players, and the Grizzlies recovered at the Trojan 35. Williams broke a 25-yarder two plays later, and scored from a yard out for a 10-0 lead.

“They’re definitely a good team,” Post Falls linebacker Cole Cripps said. “(Williams) is a good running back, one of the better ones we’ve faced all year, that’s for sure. It was heartbreaking … “

Post Falls finished with 115 rushing yards, 145 total.

Rocky totaled 266 yards, 182 on the ground.

“It was a really good challenge (trying to move the ball against Rocky),” Post Falls offensive lineman Miles Kison said. “We were just playing our hearts out. Both of us had complex offenses and defenses, and we just went at it, and this is the result of the game.”

Rocky has five players already committed to Division I schools — including defensive lineman Kade Steadman (Air Force), offensive lineman Jackson Fullmer, who was ejected in the first quarter (Kansas State), tackle Trevor Beck (Weber State), Williams (Idaho), lineman Zachary Penner (Idaho).

“Blaine’s awesome; he does an incredible job so I knew he was going to find ways to attack us,” Culig said. “They did a few things that gave us problems, but we kept working and figured it out.”

“Obviously the wind didn’t help, but they had to play in the wind too,” Bennett said. “Both teams going into the wind struggled, and when we didn’t take advantage of that third quarter, with that good field position … “

Rocky Mountain 0 10 0 12 — 22

Post Falls 0 0 0 0 — 0

Second quarter

RM — Safety, 6:41

RM — Art Williams 1 run (Caleb Staab run), 4:36

Fourth quarter

RM — CJ Jacobsen 52 pass from Tegan Sweaney (kick failed), 6:45

RM — Williams 4 run (kick failed), 4:03

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — RM, Williams 28-143, Luchini 5-18, Albert 3-14, Sweaney 4-7. PF, Burns 17-78, Bustamante 19-53, Triano 4-10, Ostlund 1-(minus 2), Team 1-(minus 12).

PASSING — RM, Sweaney 6-8-0-84. PF, McKeown 5-15-0-30.

RECEIVING — RM, Jacobsen 2-66, Reed 1-3, Blatter 1-8, Williams 1-(minus 6), Adams 1-13. PF, Bowie 3-13, Lyons 1-13, Ostlund 1-4.