Still in hunt

It wasn’t a typical Lewiston High football game Friday.

Nothing has been typical for Lewiston, though, recently. The Bengals, who have been dominated on both sides of the line of scrimmage the past three weeks, rose up in a big way Friday.

The two-time defending 5A Inland Empire League champs stayed in the playoff chase, holding off a frantic Post Falls rally for a 27-25 win at Post Falls.

The game was seemingly over when the Bengals (4-3 overall, 1-1 league) scored their final touchdown for a 27-6 lead with 8:19 remaining.

But the Trojans (4-3, 0-2) scored three TDs in a 7-minute span and were a two-point conversion from forcing overtime when they ran out of magic.

“Way closer than it needed to be,” Lewiston coach Emmett Dougherty said. “I felt we really controlled that game on both sides of the ball. But some mistakes on offense and huge plays given up on defense. We controlled everything in that game except big plays. Like I told the kids, right now I don’t care. We’re 1-1 and that’s what we needed to be.”

The Bengals’ last three opponents had done everything but used a road grader to pound the ball down their throats. Against the Trojans, Lewiston allowed just 53 yards on 31 attempts.

The usually pass-happy Bengals featured an effective running game that had been dormant for more than a month. Running back Tyler Johnson gained 124 yards on 25 carries, including a 71-yard TD in the second quarter that allowed Lewiston to take a 14-6 lead into halftime.

The Bengals added a TD in the third quarter. Then in the fourth, wide receiver Camden Bernatz caught a 21-yard pass that extended Lewiston’s lead to 27-6 with 8:19 to go.

Post Falls all of a sudden started to show signs of life. Quarterback Matt Lickfold threw a 55-yard TD pass to Jordan Pastras with 7:29 remaining.

But after forcing Lewiston to punt, Lickfold was intercepted by Ridge Meacham at the 3:47 mark.

The Trojans forced another four-and-out and got the ball back with 2:03 to go at their 47-yard line. On fourth-and-5, Lickfold, who was in the grasp of at least one Bengal, somehow lofted a pass to Cody Clark, who beat the cornerback to the end zone for a 48-yard TD with 1:34 to go.

Post Falls tried a second onside kick, but the referee from the far side of the field ruled the Trojans touched the ball before it had gone 10 yards. Lewiston took over at its 49.

But for the strangest reason, the Bengals attempted a pass that fell incomplete. Post Falls used its final two timeouts, forced another punt and took over at its 11.

Two plays later, Lickfold found Clark one more time as he got behind a Bengal cornerback for a 60-yard TD reception with 29 seconds to go. On the two-point conversion attempt, receiver Johnny Haskew caught a screen pass but was tackled by Erik Reyes at the 4.

“Our kids were resilient,” PF coach Jeff Hinz said. “They’ve proved that all season, coming back against Central Valley (and) coming back against Sandpoint. It’s a disappointing loss. They fought to the last second.”

PF isn’t mathematically eliminated, but it needs Lake City to beat Coeur d’Alene next week and Lewiston the week after.

Hinz was most frustrated by the fact that his team was lackluster for more than three quarters.

“We just kind of sputtered, sputtered, sputtered on both sides of the ball,” he said. “I told the kids I don’t know if we played the full 48 minutes.”

University of Idaho-bound Podrabsky injured his non-throwing shoulder just before halftime, but came back and played most of the second half.

Dougherty said he would most likely sit out next week when the Bengals travel to No. 1-ranked Capital.

Moscow 41, Lakeland 6: The visiting Bears (5-2) jumped all over the Hawks (2-6) in the first half in a 4A IEL opener at Rathdrum.

Non-league

Meridian 46, Lake City 21: The visiting Warriors (2-5) took advantage of a blocked punt and four Timberwolves (1-6) turnovers in the first half.