Vikings top Lewiston
Coeur d'Alene opened a 28-0 lead by halftime and was threatened in a 5A Inland Empire League win over visiting Lewiston.
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By Greg Lee
Staff writer
The
Even though things got messy at times in the second half, the
Vikings were never threatened as
Vikings junior running back Zach Keiser scored five touchdowns and rushed for 219 yards.
The Bengals’ go-to athlete, University of Idaho-bound quarterback Justin Podrabsky, was chased from the pocket frequently. The Vikings’ stout defense sacked him four times in the first half and six overall.
“Trying to keep that guy (Podrabsky pinned in … we were pretty solid,” CdA coach Shawn Amos said of his defense.
Keiser scored CdA’s first three TDs. Then with 40 seconds remaining before halftime, quarterback Ryan Dunton hit a wide-open Cade Mendoza over the middle on a 29-yard TD pass, extending the Viks’ lead to 28-0 going into halftime.
“We started out very well and then we were very sloppy in the second half,” said Amos, whose team improved to 4-2 overall. “But 1-0 in league, that’s a good start.”
Amos said his team’s inconsistent play in the final two quarters will give the coaches plenty of video to keep them working hard.
“Besides a couple of penalties, our first half was pretty sharp,” Amos said.
The 6-foot-6 Podrabsky, who has a strong arm, rarely had enough time to look deep often. He had just one completion of 40 yards and the rest were well under 15. He completed 19 of 38 for 151 yards.
“They don’t have the (offensive) line,” Amos said. “The quarterback is pretty tough, though.”
“They (the Viks) did what they needed to do,” Dougherty said. “He’s our bread and butter and that’s what you need to do (against him). Our o-line is what it is. They battled better in the second half.”
Keiser frequently appeared as if he were poised to break a big run.
“He ran very well and when that happens our line did a nice job in front,” Amos said. “They’re really starting to lcik a little bit.”
Dougherty thought his team played better than it did in a 36-0 loss at home against 4A Sandpoint last week.
“I think we can build on some things we did in the second half,” Dougherty said.
Lewiston will make a second straight trip north next Friday when the Bengals take on Post Falls in what shapes up to be a key league game. The loser most likely will be out of the chase for a state playoff berth.
“It’s going to be a challenge because they’re a good football
team, too,” Dougher said of
The Vikings play a non-league game against
Dougherty thought the game Friday was similar to the game two years ago at CdA.
“It was two trips up here where it was basically the same halftime speech – refocus and come out and play better in the second half,” he said. “I thought our kids did.”
In addition to his rushing, Keiser also caught four passes for 69 yards.
Dunton completed 13 of 27 for 145 yards.
The Bengals’ favorite target was receiver John Rake, who caught 12 for 170 yards including a 66-yard TD with 17 seconds to go.
