THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: 'He's his own kid' — In a family of quarterbacks, senior Tannar Stern is making a name for himself at Coeur d'Alene High

There was a time where you might have thought there was more than one Tannar Stern on the Coeur d'Alene High football team. 

There was Stern at quarterback. 

Or he was at running back. 

Or at linebacker. Or rush end. 

Or even on special teams.

All in the same game. 

This year, with Coeur d'Alene in position to play for its first state title since 2013, Stern is focusing on his main job as quarterback for the 10-0 Vikings, who play host to Highland (6-5) of Pocatello in a state 6A semifinal on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Viking Field. 

"I'd love to play defense and offense, but ... it's so I don't get injured," Stern said last Friday night, after a slugfest of a 23-14 win over visiting Boise in a quarterfinal game. 

Coeur d'Alene coach Shawn Amos said Stern plays "very little" on defense this year. 

"Sometimes we put him in on pass rush situations, but he's kinda valuable on the other side of the ball," Amos said. "Plus, we've got other guys that can play, so he doesn't play very much on defense." 

THIS SEASON, Stern has completed 168 of 254 passes (66.1%) for 2,536 yards and 30 touchdowns, with three interceptions. 

He's also Coeur d'Alene's leading rusher by more than 500 yards, with 738 rushing yards on 117 carries (6.3 yards per carry) with 13 touchdowns. 

As a sophomore, Stern saw limited action at QB, completing 24 of 32 passes for 290 yards and five touchdowns, with two interceptions. He also ran for 125 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. 

Last year, Stern shared time at quarterback with Caden Symons, though both were often still on the field when the other was at QB — Stern at running back, Symons at wide receiver. 

When Symons suffered a season-ending broken collarbone in the Vikings' sixth game, Stern took over exclusively at quarterback. He was 94 for 148 for 1,136 yards and 21 touchdowns, with five interceptions. He was the Vikings' top rusher last year as well, with 575 yards and five touchdowns on 116 carries. 

The 6-foot-4, 190-pound Stern is still a running threat, but he's using his arm more as his Viking career progresses. 

"His pass game, and his quarterback IQ continues to get better and better each week," Amos said. "And we need him to do that, because against better teams we're not going to be able to just run Tannar in the middle."  

"I've got a really close relationship with the receivers and the tight ends, and everyone on the team. We just play really well together," Stern said. "I just trust all the guys, and we all have trust in each other." 

And why not? 

Coeur d'Alene seems to have an endless supply of talented receivers for Stern to throw to, and this year is no different, led by Gibson Comstock (46 catches), Jackson Hackett (22), Jackson Schillinger (21), Davis Whittaker (16) and, before he was lost for the season due to injury, Maddox Lindquist (16). 

And about that defense, without Stern being on the field all that much? 

The Vikings are allowing just 10.3 points per game, with two shutouts, 28 sacks, 15 interceptions and nine fumble recoveries. 

TANNAR STERN said he's never seen tape of his father, former Lake City High quarterback Matt Stern, who graduated in 2002. 

"I hear from some people," Tannar said. "I heard my dad was a very physical runner, ran the ball, speed option. I just heard he was a really good quarterback. He doesn't talk about it much." 

Why not, dad? 

"Because he's his own kid," Matt Stern said. "I just want him to be his own person. I encourage him; I support him on whatever he wants to do." 

Asked to compare father and son as quarterbacks ... 

"He's a lot better than I ever was," Matt said of Tannar. "He's more well-rounded. The pressure, it doesn't seem to ever bother him. Whereas for me, I'd be like a duck with my feet going a million miles an hour." 

Matt Stern, 6-5 and 230 pounds in high school, went on to play at Montana, and finished up at Dixie State (now Utah Tech). 

Tannar has offers from a pair of NAIA schools, Carroll of Helena, Mont., and Eastern Oregon in La Grande. 

"I probably should have shown him tape, but he does everything so much better than I ever did," Matt said. "A lot of people think he's gifted, but no one's seen how hard that kid's worked, ever since he was in the second grade. He does footwork drills all the time. He works hard at it." 

Tannar's mom, Molly Wilson, played soccer at Coeur d'Alene High. 

Tannar said he's been a quarterback his whole life; "I just wanted to throw the ball," he said. 

Because dad was also a QB? 

"I never thought of it that way," said Tannar, a Packers fan who says he's a big fan of Aaron Rodgers, and enjoys watching highlights of Brett Favre. 

"It's just amazing how good and responsible he seems to be," Matt said of his son. 

Amos coached against Matt Stern way back when, during the early portion of his 30-year run as Viking coach, and now coaches his son. 

"Matt was a giant at quarterback and ran the veer. He ran over a lot of our guys," Amos recalled. "Tannar is not as big, but does process that ability to run the ball. I think we ask Tannar to play more of the traditional quarterback role. Both are/were a handful to prepare for and play against." 

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 1205, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @CdAPressSports.