Coeur d’ Alene gets set to take on rival Lake City

Five minutes after his team had just put the finishing touches on Lakeland 35-14 in a non-league football game Friday, Coeur d’Alene coach Shawn Amos was poised to get back to work immediately.

A reporter asked Amos how soon he was going to start studying his next opponent, No. 1-ranked Lake City, at Coeur d’Alene next Friday.

“I’ll be in the locker room in about 10 minutes watching film,” Amos said, grinning.

Lake City (4-0) had a bye last week, allowing the Timberwolves to get an early start preparing for their crosstown rival. Amos isn’t sure it was an advantage.

“High school kids are funny,” said Amos, whose team improved to 4-1 overall and will likely move back into the 5A rankings this week. “We’ve never played well after a bye. High school kids like to keep a routine. But I know they’re (the T-Wolves) going to be ready. They’re a very good football team. It’s going to be a battle no matter what.”

CdA and LC have played similar schedules. Both made trips to Boise, with LC shutting out defending 5A state champ Meridian 23-0 and CdA falling to perennial 5A power Centennial 34-21.

LC’s other wins have been against Kennewick (42-17), a 4A team from Washington, Madison of Rexburg (41-14), a first-year 5A team, and 4A Sandpoint (49-31). CdA’s other wins have been against Greater Spokane League teams University (53-27) and Mead (42-28) and Sandpoint (44-34).

Both CdA and LC have put up a lot of points. Does Amos anticipate a shootout?

“I don’t know, I hate to even predict that stuff,” Amos said. “They’re good offensively and defensively and I think we’re pretty good offensively and defensively. It’s going to be a heckuva lot of fun.”

Amos impressed with Lakeland

It was the 4A Hawks’ first game against a 5A team after Lakeland scaled back its schedule this year, dropping LC and Lewiston.

Amos thought Lakeland gave a good account of itself.

“This is the class they’ve been waiting for – this is (Coach Tim) Kiefer’s fourth year,” Amos said. “I’ll tell you (Bubba) Bartlett and some of those kids are as tough as anybody. They’re a pretty good football team. They’re big – everybody’s bigger than us, but we’ve grown used to that. They’re physical, big, aggressive – they did not back down.”

We asked Kiefer what his thoughts were about the game, but Kiefer declined to talk.

Sandpoint stops skid

After playing four straight games against 5A teams, the Bulldogs, under first-year coach Mike Mitchell, broke through with a 37-6 win over visiting Bonners Ferry.

The Bulldogs hope to build some momentum in the middle stretch of their schedule. They’ll play two more games at home – against North Central and Lewiston – before they take on Moscow (home) and Lakeland (away) in their two 4A Inland Empire League games to decide a state playoff berth.

Around the state

Over in Idaho Falls, talk all week was that Skyline would score a big breakout 5A win Friday when it visited second-ranked and perennial power Highland. But the Rams of Pocatello (4-0) showed the fourth-ranked Grizzlies that they still own Eastern Idaho as Highland hammered Skyline 45-6.

After losing its season opener to Lake City 23-0 without two key starters, Meridian bounced back after a bye to thump Eagle 56-0. Many thought that was a statement game.

Then on Thursday, No. 5 Capital (4-0) tripped Meridian (2-2) 28-27.

A new team will move to the top of the 1A Division I eight-man rankings after Troy upset top-ranked Genesee 14-12.