Mort Leads Way As Trojans Romp 30-7 Win Over Cda Earns Playoffs; Johnson Makes His Mark As Backup
Post Falls junior running back Josh Mort’s starting job is very secure, especially after he added several more feet of footage to his personal highlight reel Friday.
But the Trojans may have found an insurance policy. Mort scored two touchdowns and gained nearly 200 yards before giving way to senior Mike Johnson.
Johnson added two second-half touchdowns as Post Falls clinched no worse than a tie for the Inland Empire League football championship and a playoff berth with a 30-7 victory over Coeur d’Alene at Viking Field.
Post Falls, 3-0 in league and 7-1 overall, can capture the league title outright next Friday when the Trojans close out the regular season at home against Sandpoint (2-1, 6-2), which was hammered 63-33 by visiting Lewiston (3-1, 7-1) Friday.
Sandpoint could force a three-way tie for the league crown by beating Post Falls.
Coeur d’Alene (0-3, 1-7) was officially eliminated from the playoff hunt. The loss, coupled with a 35-8 loss at Lewiston last week, guarantees the Viks their worst record since 1971 when they were 3-5-1.
Needing 10 yards to go over the 1,000-yard mark entering the game, Mort went for 19 on his first carry. He didn’t slow down, gaining 188 on 35 attempts and pushing his season total to 1,178.
The 5-foot-8, 162-pound Mort toted the ball nine times on Post Falls’ game-opening, 13-play drive. He scored from 4 yards out as the Trojans ate up nearly 5 minutes.
Post Falls had to punt on its next possession, and CdA’s most notable offensive play came when senior running back David Goodwin sprinted 61 yards, breaking a couple of tackles along the way, for the Viks’ single score of the game.
The Trojans would own the remaining three quarters.
Mort scored on a second 4-yard run in the early moments of the second quarter. That TD was set up in the closing minutes of the first period when CdA’s Max Peebles fumbled a punt at the Vik 26-yard line. The Trojans’ Mike Heston recovered to put his team in ideal position.
Post Falls added a safety 5:18 before halftime to push its lead to 16-7 when defensive end Jeremy Wallace tackled Vik quarterback Nick Rook in the end zone.
The Trojans unveiled their newest weapon - as if Post Falls needs another weapon - in the second half.
Johnson, a 6-0, 200-pound swift and powerful runner, scored the Trojans’ final touchdowns on runs of 17 and 30 yards. He nearly scored a third in the closing seconds as Post Falls was trying to run out the clock. He finished with 111 yards on 11 attempts.
Ineligible last season, Johnson was the leading rusher on the Trojans junior varsity as a sophomore. His talents are nothing new to his coaches.
“He can run; he can really run,” Post Falls coach Jerry Lee said of Johnson, who became eligible two weeks ago.
“He’s been working real hard and we wanted to give him some (carries). He’s had a great attitude all year. Mort’s our tailback, but Johnson is a guy who’ll play tailback and fullback for us. Earlier he was having a hard time remembering the plays. Now he’s getting in some reps.”
The win is Post Falls’ third straight over CdA and first ever at Viking Field.
“To us (the CdA game), it’s the biggest game of the year and will continue to be so,” Lee said, explaining the significance of the victory. “These guys have hammered Post Falls for a long time, so it’s nice to get the upper hand.”
CdA coach Bill Anderson honored his seniors by starting them in their final home game. Many of them responded by playing well - though the final score wouldn’t indicate it.
The Viks close out the season Thursday at Lake City, which posted its first-ever win, 15-6, at Lakeland. The CdA-LC game was moved up a day to avoid a conflict with the State A-1/A-2 volleyball tournaments at Lake City.
Post Falls 30, Coeur d’Alene 7
Post Falls 7 9 7 7 - 30
Coeur d’Alene 7 0 0 0 - 7
PF-Mort 4 run (Lee kick)
C-Goodwin 61 run (Davis kick)
PF-Mort 4 run (Lee kick)
PF-Safety, Rook tackled in end zone
PF-Johnson 17 run (Lee kick)
PF-Johnson 30 run (Lee kick)
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