PREP FOOTBALL: Timberlake rushes past American Falls, into 3A quarterfinals

SPIRIT LAKE — Senior Luke Schell and junior Jeremy Hurlbert are defensive ends on the Timberlake High football team.

Not only that, they are pulling guards on the Tigers’ offensive line.

And in Hurlbert’s case, a terror on special teams.

“He’s a warrior; he never leaves the field,” Timberlake coach Kelly Amos said.

Both had a couple sacks, and Schell recovered a fumble in the end zone as the Tigers routed the American Falls Beavers 67-27 in the first round of the state 3A playoffs at Van Tuinstra Memorial Field.

On offense, they helped pave the way for 349 rushing yards for Timberlake.

“Both are athletic, move well, and disruptive of what American Falls was trying to do,” Amos said.

Timberlake (6-4), the lowest remaining seed of the eight playoff teams left after the first weekend, will travel to play top-seeded Sugar-Salem (8-0) in a quarterfinal game next Saturday at 11 a.m. PDT at Madison High in Rexburg. Sugar won 55-8 at Timberlake on Sept. 29.

Cooper Lenz rushed for 166 yards and two touchdowns for the Tigers. Vaughn Higgins ran for 101 yards and three scores, and also returned an interception for a touchdown late in the first quarter.

Jacob Yetter caught three passes, two for touchdowns.

“Offense was rolling, that’s for sure,” Amos said. “We had a few hiccups early in the game (passing) and we had to say ‘Hey, we need to start moving the football up and down the field. We need to get back to what we do well.’ The line blocked well, backs ran hard.”

American Falls finished 3-7.

American Falls    6    6    8    7    —    27

Timberlake    20    6    27    14    —    67

First quarter

TL — Cooper Lenz 28 run (PAT failed)

AF — Austin Adair 55 pass (kick failed)

TL — Jacob Yetter 19 pass from Cole Meidinger (PAT failed)

TL — Vaughn Higgins 20 interception return (Yetter run)

Second quarter 

TL — Higgins 1 run (kick failed)

AF — 1 run (kick failed)

Third quarter

TL — Higgins 16 run (kick failed) 

AF — 52 run (Zakary Grigg run)

TL — Lenz 21 run (Higgins kick)

TL — Higgins 49 run (Higgins kick)

TL — Yetter 3 pass from Meidinger (Higgins kick)

Fourth quarter

AF — 51 pass from Dax Brower (Osvaldo Martinez kick)

TL — Caius Tebbe 14 run (kick failed)

TL — Luke Schell fumble recovery in end zone (Yetter run)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — TL, Lenz 16-166, Higgins 8-101, Tebbe 7-63, Hansen 1-18, Davis 1-1.

PASSING — TL, Meidinger 6-15-0-76.

RECEIVING — TL, Yetter 3-34, McDougall 1-22, Lenz 1-16, Wendt 1-4.