Coeur d'Alene shows off its depth in rout of Lake City

By MARK NELKE 

Sports editor 

COEUR d'ALENE — It's unfortunate when key players — particularly seniors — are lost for the season due to injury. 

But if there is a program that has the depth of talent to overcome those losses, it's the Coeur d'Alene Vikings. 

Six different players scored one touchdown each, and Coeur d'Alene started fast and rolled to a 42-14 victory over the Lake City Timberwolves in 6A Inland Empire League football play Friday night at Viking Field. 

Tannar Stern, Logan Melville, Ean McClelland, Jackson Hackett, Davis Whittaker and Oliver Strait each found the end zone for Coeur d'Alene (8-0, 1-0 6A IEL), which has lost three key seniors for the year, two of them receivers.  

"We played Hackett and Logan Melville more, and Gibson (Comstock) played some inside receiver," Coeur d'Alene coach Shawn Amos said. "We are lucky to have enough skill guys. But we're starting to run out of safeties ... we can't lose any more safeties. The kids we stuck in there stepped up, and they'll keep growing and hopefully they'll get better and better." 

Coeur d'Alene, ranked No. 1 in 6A by MaxPreps, scored on its first four possessions, squelching any upset thoughts Lake City (5-3, 1-1) may have had. 

The Vikings took the opening kickoff and marched 76 yards in 13 plays, capped by Stern's 1-yard keeper.  

Coeur d'Alene forced a three-and-out, then drove 73 yards in 10 plays, with Logan Melville catching a pass out in the right flat and scoring easily from 6 yards out. 

Max DeMarre of Coeur d'Alene intercepted a pass near midfield, and returned it to the Lake City 25. On the next play, McClellan raced 25 yards on a reverse for a touchdown and a 21-0 lead at the quarter. 

"This group, they start fast, man," Amos said. "There's not been one game when they have not come ready to go from the start; in high school football, that's huge. You don't need to get them motivated; they come ready to play football." 

Lake City gifted Coeur d'Alene a scoring opportunity late in the first half, trying to pick up a Viking punt that was about to roll dead, then fumbling the ball and Coeur d'Alene recovered at the T-Wolf 44.  

Stern hit a wide-open Whittaker in the left corner of the end zone with 4 seconds left, and the Vikings led 35-0 at halftime. 

"We just didn't do our assignments to the best of our ability," Lake City coach Byron Hout said. "We had some communication breakdowns, and you can't make mistakes against a good team like that. We just have to do a better job executing." 

Coeur d'Alene held Lake City to 68 first-half yards. The T-Wolves finished with 226 (and just 99 on the ground), much of that coming against Viking reserves in the fourth quarter. Coeur d'Alene held Brayden Van Leuven to 58 rushing yards on 16 carries. 

Stern passed for 200 yards and four touchdowns, and rushed for one. Comstock had seven catches for 82 yards.  

"Van Leuven's a good running back, but our defense is real good at stopping the run," Amos said.  

Coeur d'Alene can wrap up the league title next Friday with a win at Post Falls (1-7, 0-1), which would also clinch a playoff berth for Lake City. A Trojan upset would create a three-way tie for the league title, and a Kansas tiebreaker would follow. 

Lake City wraps up the regular season next Friday with a nonleague game at Lewiston.

Lake City     0    0    0    14    —    14 

Coeur d'Alene     21    14    7    —    42 

First quarter 

Cd'A — Tannar Stern 1 run (Frankie Lopez kick), 8:05 

Cd'A — Logan Melville 6 pass from Stern (Lopez kick), 3:08 

Cd'A — Ean McClelland 25 run (Lopez kick), :57 

Second quarter 

Cd'A — Jackson Hackett 15 pass from Stern (Lopez kick), 6:05 

Cd'A — Davis Whittaker 18 pass from Stern (Lopez kick), :04 

Third quarter 

Cd'A — Oliver Strait 8 pass from Stern (Lopez kick), 4:18 

Fourth quarter  

LC — Brayden Van Leuven 14 run (Jax Pearson run), 9:47 

LC — Pearson 25 run (pass failed), 3:51. 

INVIDIDUAL STATISTICS 

RUSHING — LC, Van Leuven 16-58, Pearson 3-34, Capaul 1-7. Cd'A, Coleman 5-44, Strait 6-39, Stern 12-17, McClelland 1-25, McCooey 3-(minus 2), Paulin 2-(minus 2). 

PASSING — LC, Pearson 12-20-1-127. Cd'A, Stern 18-26-0-200, Gatten 1-1-0-5. 

RECEIVING — LC, Grant 3-35, Salsbury 3-4, Keogh 2-11, Salsbury 3-4, Parson 2-25, Leveque 1-30, Van Leuven 1-22. Cd'A, Comstock 7-82, Hackett 5-56, Whittaker 2-25, Melville 1-6, Coleman 1-17, Paulin 1-7, Strait 1-8, Velin 1-5. 

    MARK NELKE/Press Coeur d'Alene senior Oliver Strait (30) rounds the corner against Lake City on Friday night at Viking Field.