State football playoffs
4A quarterfinal
Bishop Kelly (7-2) at Sandpoint (5-4)
Friday, 7 p.m., Barlow Stadium, Sandpoint
At a glance: This is a rematch of the 2005 semifinal in which Bishop Kelly rallied in the final 2 minutes to stop upset-minded Sandpoint 21-20. BK went on to repeat as state champ. This is the final season for BK coach Tim Brennan, who announced his resignation at the start of the year. A 1977 BK grad, Brennan, 47, will move to Pittsburgh to join his wife, who accepted a position with the Greater Pittsburgh Automobile Dealers Association. Brennan has a 124-33 record in 15 seasons at BK. His teams are 16-6 in the state playoffs. BK graduated a host of talented players off last year’s team. Sandpoint running back Kurt Stoll, who played a key role in last year’s game, will be the target of BK’s defense. BK quarterback Kyle Cefalo, a left-hander, led the SIC in passing with 1,407 yards, completing 75 of 125 passes including 14 touchdowns and four interceptions. He replaced standout three-year starter Cody Hawkins.
3A quarterfinal
Declo (7-2) at Timberlake (9-0)
Saturday, noon, at Van Tuinstra Memorial Field, Spirit Lake
At a glance: This is your classic showdown between run-first, pass-second teams. Declo topped perennial 3A power Weiser 8-6 at Weiser last week. Declo scored its lone touchdown on the first drive of the game and then used a stingy defense to slow down Weiser. Declo is led by running back Ben Field, who had 105 yards on 17 carries against Weiser. Junior running back Nick Puckett leads Timberlake with 1,874 yards on 163 carries and 22 touchdowns. Junior quarterback Levi Powers has passed for 809 yards and 13 TDs.
1A Division I quarterfinal
Troy (8-1) at Wallace (4-4)
Saturday, 1 p.m., Sather Field, Osburn
At a glance: These two teams faced off last year at this time. Troy defeated Wallace 34-20. Wallace is 0-2 in the state playoffs since moving to 1A two years ago. It’s been an up-and-down year for Wallace. Troy’s Trojans have averaged 43.1 points per game, outscoring opponents by 28 points. The Miners, who’ve been plagued by injuries, are coming off a bye after playing their best game of the year in a 69-26 win over Clark Fork. “I don’t know which team is going to show up Saturday,” Wallace coach Dave Rounds said. “This is a good football team. They need to start believing in themselves.”
1A Division II quarterfinal
Mullan (4-3) at Kootenai (6-2)
Friday, 7 p.m.
At a glance: Talk about two teams that are probably tired of seeing each other. This is the third game between the teams. Kootenai topped Mullan 48-12 in an earlier non-league contest and the Warriors thumped the Tigers 50-0 last Friday in a game called before halftime because of the mercy rule. Mullan must try to find a way to slow down the speedy Warriors. “They’re a good team,” first-year Mullan coach Corey Miller said. “To tell you the truth, we’re hoping the weather (possible rain) slows them down.”