Mt. Spokane has big task vs. Eastside Catholic

For Terry Cloer to say that Eastside Catholic is the best team that his Mt. Spokane football team has played to date might be stating the obvious.

After all, this is the State 3A semifinals and there are no slouches left, including the Wildcats.

Cloer has a point, though.

“They’re big, that’s for sure, and talented obviously,” Cloer said.

Second-ranked Eastside Catholic (11-1) faces Mt. Spokane (10-2) this afternoon at Albi Stadium. Kickoff is at 4.

Eastside Catholic is in the semifinals for a third straight year under former Sandpoint standout Jeremy Thielbahr, in his fourth season. The Crusaders are seeking a third straight state final appearance.

This is the second time in three years that Eastside Catholic has made the trip to Spokane. Two years ago, the Crusaders eliminated University, which made a Cinderella run in the playoffs.

Mt. Spokane has won eight straight since losing to Sandpoint 21-14 at Albi. The Wildcats have played particularly well the last month, and it will take their best game to advance to the state final for the first time.

Thielbahr called his old coach to get a scouting report on the Wildcats.

“He’s one of my mentors,” Thielbahr said of Sandpoint coach Satini Puailoa. “He’s one of the best football coaches I know. He gave me a good rundown on their personnel.”

EC and Mt. Spokane also exchanged video. The way things work today on the Internet, though, Cloer has plenty of video of the Crusaders.

There are plenty of reasons for Cloer to be focused on EC.

“It’s playoff football and you’re playing good teams,” he said. “It’s the same as every other week. We’re playing our best football right now and we just want to continue to do what we do.”

Offensively, that means running the ball from different areas on the field – whether it’s the fullback, the quarterback or the slotbacks in motion. And Mt. Spokane wants to stay balanced with quarterback Matt Pulliam going vertical to keep the Crusaders honest.

Defensively, the Wildcats want to continue to use their athleticism and speed to get as many helmets possible to the ball.

EC had a difficult quarterfinal against Lincoln. The Abes got out to a 14-0 lead, and the Crusaders found themselves down 21-14 in the fourth quarter before rallying.

Cloer knows his players have their hands full. But he’s confident they’ll put forth their best, win or lose.

“Our defense has been consistently good and offensively we’re taking better control of the ball,” Cloer said. “We’ve been efficient. We’ve thrown the ball well when we’ve needed to.”

Thielbahr said his team faces a challenge.

“I see a very well-coached team and a fundamentally sound team,” Thielbahr said of the Wildcats. “We’ve got to come out and play our best football game. We’re looking forward to the trip. The last time we played there it was the highlight of our season.”