Post Falls prevails
A pair of longtime 4A rivals met on the football field Friday night at Post Falls High School, and it was obvious one of them had graduated to the next level.
The Post Falls Trojans, new this year to the 5A ranks, flexed their muscle in front of a raucous homecoming crowd, pounding out 272 yards on the ground while slicing and dicing Moscow 28-12 in a non-league game that wasn’t as close as the score might indicate.
Randy Hamilton rose out of a Trojans offense packed with talent to take his turn in the spotlight Friday. Hamilton, a junior wide receiver/running back, scored the first two touchdowns – on a 25-yard catch in the first quarter and a 4-yard run in the second.
“It’s a great feeling (to win homecoming),” said Hamilton, who carried the ball seven times for 54 yards, including runs of 18 and 19 yards on the second-quarter scoring drive. “Our O-line did great – they were just getting off the ball all night – we haven’t really seen that this year.
“It was intense all night.”
The intensity started early when, on fourth-and-11 at the Moscow 25, Post Falls quarterback Jake Salisbury threw into double coverage down the right sidelines and split the defenders, dropping the ball into the breadbasket of a falling Hamilton.
“I was surprised,” Hamilton said of the play that put the Trojans up 7-0. “Our quarterback threw the ball – I mean I was covered. I guess it was the perfect ball.”
That was it for Post Falls’ passing exploits – Salisbury finished just 3 of 9 for 35 yards with one interception, adding a touchdown on the ground on a 2-yard sneak in the third quarter.
But the Trojans’ “fly sweep,” a blur of running backs and wide receivers shooting past the quarterback, kept the Bears on their heels and did all the damage that was necessary.
Post Falls coach Jeff Hinz said he was pleased, for the most part, with how his team has progressed.
“It was a good homecoming win,” he said. “Moscow is our old 4A rival and came up here and played. It was a good game – a hard-fought contest.
“We ran the ball real well. We just popped a few here and there.”
As for the “who’s going to be featured in our offense this Friday” dynamic, Hinz described what is an embarrassment of riches.
“You know, one night it’s (junior wideout Levi) Buckles, one night it’s (Brandon) Brubaker and one night it’s one of the Aunes (Jon and Mike),” Hinz said. “It was Hamilton tonight, and they all played real, real well.
“Our offensive line, you need to praise them a little bit: (Scott) Baxter and (Jacob) King and (Ryan) Chapin and (Corey) Lamb and (Ron) Carroll – they did a fine job.”
Brubaker broke away for an 88-yard run down the right side in the fourth quarter to round out the scoring for Post Falls (3-1).
Mychael Washington had a 1-yard TD run and quarterback Tyler Randall found wide receiver Anthony Williams from 21 yards out in the late going for Moscow (2-3).