Timberlake cruises in playoff opener

To say that Timberlake established the running game early against Priest River Friday would be an understatement.

The undefeated Tigers rushed for 301 yards in a 31-0 first half and then cruised to a 49-3 victory over the visiting Spartans in the opening round of the State 3A football playoffs.

Up next for Timberlake (9-0), ranked No. 2 in the state, is another home game next Saturday against the winner of today’s game between Declo (6-2) and Weiser (5-3).

Senior running back Nick Puckett, who finished with 241 of the Tigers’ 455 rushing yards, showed the love for his offensive line.

“We got another game, and that feels good,” said Puckett, whose lone touchdown came on a spectacular 97-yard burst off right tackle at the end of the third quarter. “The line blocked well, and all I had to do was run through the holes – I mean, those guys are amazing.

“It just felt so good to be playing out here on this field on a Friday night. It’s probably our last Friday night game, and we wanted to go out with a bang – now we look forward to playing on Saturdays.”

Timberlake’s defense was no slouch either, holding Priest River (4-5) to just 72 total yards in the first half and 163 (5 passing) in the game.

Timberlake coach Roy Albertson said the game was a chance to get some once-ailing players back onto the field.

“We’ve had some kids hurt, and they’re not in good shape yet,” Albertson said. “We wouldn’t let them come off the field – they’ve got to play themselves into shape.

“Next week we get some other players back and hopefully we’ll be healthy going into the second round.”

North Star League

Anthony Cranford tossed three touchdown passes to lead host Kootenai to a 50-0 blowout of Mullan (4-3, 3-1) at Harrison to capture the league title. The Warriors (6-2, 4-0) scored 44 first-quarter points. Frank Donohoe intercepted three passes and returned one 30 yards for a score in the one-sided first quarter. Ben Shannon gained 87 yards on nine carries and scored once for Kootenai.