Lake City sets loose its defense

The ruin of the Lake City High football team’s defense apparently was greatly exaggerated.

The Timberwolves, with a big assist from their offense, appeared to have the state’s best defense – not Sandpoint – as Lake City stopped the visiting Bulldogs 21-9 Friday in an Inland Empire League football game played before an estimated 1,700 fans.

“We’re not done yet,” LC coach Van Troxel said, alluding to the growth of his team’s defense in a week’s time. “The defense – I’m just very proud. We made a few tweaks here and there and schemed some things.”

The T-Wolves raised their overall record to 5-1 and 3-1 in league. Sandpoint, suffering its first loss, is 5-1 and 2-1.

LC junior cornerback/wide receiver Chris Delport, who let a touchdown pass slip off his fingertips in the first half, rebounded to make two key interceptions in the second half. The first, in which he beat Sandpoint’s big-play threat Blake Mahler to the ball before they both tumbled to the turf, gave LC possession at the T-Wolf 1-yard line.

Delport dropped a seemingly for-sure TD pass in an earlier game.

“I had one of those against Post Falls and it killed me – and I thought about it the rest of the game,” said Delport, who also caught a 6-yard TD pass from Ben Widmyer that gave the T-Wolves the lead for good at 15-9 with 45 seconds left in the third period.

“Here I just blocked it out and didn’t even think about it the rest of the game,” Delport said. “This is huge because this is the first real test we’ve had all season. This is probably the best team in the state that we faced. They’re good; they’re real good.”

Delport said the defense challenged itself in practice this week.

“This is the best game we’ve played by far,” Delport said. “The coaches didn’t have to motivate us, either. We knew we had to challenge ourselves and rise to the occasion.”

While the defense did its part, Widmyer made two critical plays.

The first took momentum from Sandpoint after the Bulldogs had scored a safety for a 9-7 lead midway in the third period.

Sandpoint punted and appeared to pin LC at its 2-yard line with 2:55 to go in the third quarter. But on first down, Widmyer faked a dive handoff to Joey Symbal and snuck through the Bulldogs’ initial wave before finding nothing but open field ahead. He sprinted 84 yards before Sandpoint defensive back Jake Way caught him from behind at the Bulldogs’ 14. Five plays later, Widmyer found Delport on the short 6-yard fade for the go-ahead TD.

LC’s defense held Sandpoint on the next series, and Widmyer pulled off the play that sealed it for LC.

On third-and-7 from his 23, Widmyer somehow broke out of the grasp of a Bulldog, scrambled to his right and unleashed a bomb that wide receiver Josh MacKay hauled in for a 77-yard TD for what would prove to be the game’s final score.

MacKay was all alone when it appeared Sandpoint’s coverage dropped off believing Widmyer was going to be sacked.

“We knew going in that (Widmyer) was a playmaker and that was really the difference in the ballgame,” Sandpoint first-year coach Sean Dorris said. “He was down here on the 2-yard line and broke that one for I don’t know how many yards.

“That was obviously a huge run for them and got them out of a hole. We had some momentum going and that really turned the tide of the momentum right there.

“And later we had him wrapped up in the backfield and should have been a sack. He scrambles out and we must have apparently thought he was down, and came off of coverage and he threw it deep for another touchdown.

“Besides those two plays it’s an even ballgame. My hat’s off to them. They came out with a great defensive scheme and really shut us down.”

LC probably should have been ahead by at least a TD and perhaps two scores at half. But the T-Wolves were victims of their mistakes – namely penalties.

They finished with 13 for the game, seven of which were of the false start or illegal motion variety.

“Like I told them, it was the ugliest, scroungiest, most beautiful, amazing game that we’ve played,” Troxel said. “There was some great football played and there was some ugly football played. Now the defense is stepping up and that’s exciting.”

Both teams begin the key parts of their league schedules next week. LC plays host to Lewiston and Sandpoint is home against Moscow.