Football teams get progress reports

North Idaho football teams have concluded one month of play with the final month of regular-season action remaining.

So I thought it would be worthwhile to evaluate where some of the teams stand in my perspective based on my preseason expectations.

I’ll use three measures: overachieved, underachieved or push (somewhere in between).

Coeur d’Alene: Underachieved. With an exclamation point. I figured the Vikings, at worse, would be 2-2 at this point, not 1-3. The loss at home to 4A Sandpoint was not expected, and the final margin (27-7) was especially alarming.

The Vikings played much better in a double-overtime loss to Centennial last week. But the Vikings continue to struggle mightily on offense. And CdA has had difficulty defending the pass, especially the cornerbacks.

CdA should fare well Friday at hapless Caldwell. The Vikings need a lot of positives before they open league the following week at Lewiston.

Lake City: Push to overachieve. I figured the Timberwolves would struggle early and that was confirmed with their 39-0 loss to Lewis and Clark, Washington’s defending State 4A champ. But LC made measurable improvement the following week, rallying to defeat Del Oro 34-33 in the Rocky Mountain Rumble at Pocatello. LC, depleted by sickness and injuries, came up short in a good game at Gonzaga Prep.

LC is at Post Falls on Friday in the league opener for both teams. If LC plays well, it can win. If LC doesn’t play well, it could be facing a difficult October.

Post Falls: Underachieved to push. The Trojans suffered significant losses to 5A Boise-area teams Eagle, ranked No. 1 in the state, and Mountain View. But they were losses to teams that should qualify for the state playoffs.

So Post Falls’ game at Sandpoint last week was critical. The Trojans fell behind 14-0 before rallying to knot things at 28 at halftime. Sandpoint led 35-28 early in the fourth quarter before Post Falls scored four touchdowns to pull away.

Lewiston: Push. You might ask why I didn’t give an overachieve grade. Well, the Bengals were expected to be 4-0 against their soft September schedule.

The Bengals go to Sandpoint on Friday. That means Sandpoint will have played all four 5A North teams. The Bulldogs will have difficulty matching up with Lewiston’s speedy skill players.

Lewiston has to be frothing at the mouth to play CdA next week – if for no other reason than to prove they weren’t affected by their soft non-league schedule.

Sandpoint: Overachieved. I must admit that I expected this to be a down year for the Bulldogs. But I underestimated the heart of the Bulldogs, especially that of senior quarterback Jake Semones. The Bulldogs shouldn’t have any problem securing the 4A North playoff berth.

Lakeland: Underachieved. I overrated the Hawks. Unless they make an about face, they will lose big to Sandpoint and they will not beat Moscow.

Panhandle picks

I went 5-5, the worst week of the season. That makes it 24-20 for the year. No space to even begin to justify the problem here.

Lake City at Post Falls: These teams are so close this could be a game that is decided in overtime. This game won’t be decided by which team makes the most plays. It will likely be determined by which team makes the fewest mistakes.

LC has owned the Trojans this decade. But Post Falls is eager to end that dominance. Until proven otherwise … LC 24, PF 21.

•Other games: Coeur d’Alene 42, Caldwell 7; Lewiston 28, Sandpoint 20; Lakeland 21, West Valley 20; Timberlake 20, Orofino 14; Priest River 14, Bonners Ferry 7; Kellogg 28, St. Maries 13; Moscow 21, Connell 14; Kootenai 48, Lakeside 12; Mullan 36, Clark Fork 6.

Coming up

In today’s Prairie Voice you’ll find a feature story on Timberlake football standout Ammon Johnston.

•Read about Coeur d’Alene senior setter Natalie Stewart in Saturday’s Handle Extra.