Gridiron Guesses Sept. 13, 2024: Small schools get the limelight tonight
Gridiron Guesses 2024
Eight-man football hasn’t much been in the spotlight around here in recent years.
But that’s likely to change tonight, when the Wallace Miners and Lakeside Knights collide in a North Star League game at 7 p.m. on the artificial turf at the Marimn Health Coeur Center in Worley.
Wallace is 3-0, Lakeside 2-0, and both have rolled up the points so far.
Both are 2-0 in North Star League play, both beating Coeur du Christ and Clark Fork.
Wallace beat Coeur du Christ 70-26 and Clark Fork 60-36.
Lakeside beat Coeur du Christ 54-32 and Clark Fork 54-6.
The Miners and Knights will meet again Oct. 25 at Sather Field in Silverton in the league and regular season finale.
The league champion earns an automatic bid to the state 1A playoffs; the runner-up will have to rely on a strong MaxPreps ranking to make the field.
Elsewhere tonight, Coeur d’Alene heads to Sunnyside (Wash.), looking to bounce back from last week’s stunning 13-6 upset loss at Lewiston.
Post Falls looks to remain unbeaten, traveling to Eastmont of East Wenatchee, Wash.
Lakeland also looks to remain unbeaten, playing host to Frenchtown (Mont.).
In the only other league game in the area tonight, St. Maries travels to Kellogg to open Central Idaho League play.
On Saturday, Lake City plays host to Highland of Pocatello, last year’s state 5A champions.
As for the picks, Jason Elliott and Mark Nelke each went 5-3, and Josh McDonald was 4-4.
For the season, Jason is 17-4, Mark 16-5, Josh 13-8.
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Coeur d’Alene (2-1) at Sunnyside (Wash.) (0-1), 7 p.m.
NELKE: The Vikings don’t lose too often these days, and with their experienced coaching staff, they’re not likely to have two clunkers in a row. Sunnyside dropped its opener 24-8 to Skyline of Sammamish, Wash., a program the Viks know all too well.
Coeur d’Alene, 26-20
ELLIOTT: We all saw what happened last year when Coeur d'Alene lost early in the season. Learn and move on.
Coeur d'Alene, 28-20
McDONALD: Last week’s shocking loss at Lewiston may go down as the biggest upset of the season in Idaho football. But getting a bad loss out of the way early may be blessing in disguise 10 weeks from now. All that said, the Vikings should bounce back.
Coeur d’Alene, 31-14
Post Falls (2-0) at Eastmont (East Wenatchee, Wash.) (1-0), 7 p.m.
NELKE: After comfortable wins at home over Lewiston and Sandpoint, Post Falls hits the road to face a Wildcats team which defeated Bonney Lake 34-16 in its opener.
Post Falls, 30-24
ELLIOTT: The Trojans like to play fast and get on teams before they have a chance to catch up. We'll see how that works on the road tonight.
Post Falls, 28-26
McDONALD: The Trojans go on the road for the first time this season, but they’re taking a lethal offense and sturdy defense with them. I like Post Falls to stay undefeated.
Post Falls, 35-21
Frenchtown (Mont.) (2-0) at Lakeland (3-0), 7 p.m.
NELKE: The Hawks were impressive in rolling up 41 points on Weiser last week. The Broncs have given up just 12 points in two games.
Lakeland, 28-14
ELLIOTT: Hopefully Lakeland isn't looking ahead to next week's game against Post Falls.
Frenchtown, 20-18
McDONALD: Lakeland has been great this year. Meanwhile, the Broncs have been pretty darn good too. This one could be decided on the final possession.
Lakeland, 30-28
St. Maries (0-2) at Kellogg (0-2), 7 p.m.
NELKE: The difference may be that the game is at Historic Teeters Field in Kellogg.
Kellogg, 26-22
ELLIOTT: Both these two have something to prove.
St. Maries, 34-20
McDONALD: The Wildcats figured some things out offensively last week against North Fremont. They’ll also be getting a few of their key players back from injury which should help their defense. Kellogg wins their home opener.
Kellogg, 28-21
Wallace (3-0, 2-0 North Star League) vs. Lakeside (2-0, 2-0 NSL) at Marimn Health Coeur Center, Worley,7 p.m.
NELKE: The scoreboard should get a workout in this one.
Lakeside, 54-48
ELLIOTT: Hopefully the next time they play at Sather Field in Silverton won't be in a massive snowstorm.
Lakeside, 44-42
McDONALD: These are the two best teams in the North Star League, but I think Wallace is the more complete group. Tyson Charley may be the best athlete on the field, but the Miners have the personnel to neutralize him.
Wallace, 48-38
Timberlake (0-3) at McCall-Donnelly (2-0), 6 p.m.
NELKE: Two years ago, Timberlake bused all the way to McCall, only to have the game canceled due to poor air quality. “A long way to go for a hamburger,” Timberlake coach Kelly Amos famously said. Or, at least that’s how we remember it.
McCall-Donnelly, 36-28
ELLIOTT: Timberlake has been close in its previous three games.
Timberlake, 34-30
McDONALD: The Tigers scheduled themselves awfully tough to begin the season, which may help down the stretch when they get into their IML games. But it looks like a 0-4 start for coach Kelly Amos.
McCall-Donnelly, 32-26
Coeur du Christ (0-2) at Wellpinit (1-0), 3 p.m.
NELKE: Wellpinit played for the state championship last year, and won its opener 44-0 last week over Republic.
Wellpinit, 44-22
ELLIOTT: Might be a tough one for the Saints.
Wellpinit, 34-20
McDONALD: It’s time for the Saints to get their first win.
Coeur du Christ, 35-30
SATURDAY’S GAME
Highland (3-0) at Lake City (1-1), 11 a.m.
NELKE: Lake City played much better last week in beating Wenatchee. But Highland is, well, Highland.
Highland, 42-21
ELLIOTT: Last week, Lake City's defense forced four turnovers against Wenatchee, holding on late for a big home win. If they were able to bottle that up, it could be interesting.
Highland, 34-20
McDONALD: The Rams are currently the best team in Idaho, meanwhile the Timberwolves are still finding themselves. This game has levels to it. A Highland blowout is probably expected; a competitive loss could be a moral victory. An LC win? Well, see what Lewiston accomplished just a week ago.
Highland, 35-21