Patient Vikings claim 5A Region I crown

Coeur d’Alene boys soccer coach Eric Louis was mildly alarmed midway through the first half of the 5A Region I championship game Saturday afternoon at Post Falls.

Louis had just watched his team repel four quality scoring opportunities by the Post Falls Trojans. He knew it was just a matter of time before the Vikings would seize control.

The been-there-done-that Vikings captured a third straight regional title with a 1-0 win over the Trojans, who qualified for state for the first time in school history.

State begins Thursday in Meridian. CdA (10-2-5) faces Centennial (13-3-1) and Post Falls (11-5-2) meets Eagle (13-3-3).

“The first 20 minutes were symptoms of jitters and really high pressure defending from Post Falls,” Louis said. “I give Post Falls a lot of credit. They created four instant opportunities.”

But what has hampered the Trojans at times this season caught up with them Saturday.

“We had three real dangerous opportunities,” PF coach Gabe Lawson said. “That was our plan, to come out and score early. But we didn’t finish them. That’s been kind of our story all season.”

CdA also had difficulty finding the net. But when senior Jordon Eborall found himself all alone at the top of the box, 18 yards away, with the ball off a feed from Casey Shellman, he knew what to do.

Eborall looked out of the corner of his left eye, spied where Trojans goalie Scott Benner was leaning and lined a shot in the left bottom corner to give the Viks the lone score they needed with 7 minutes remaining.

“I always know where the goalie is going to be,” Eborall said. “I shot the opposite way.”

Louis knew the goal was as good as scored when the ball found Eborall’s foot.

“He does it all,” Louis said. “He dug it out at midfield, fought through a couple of guys and knocked it through far post. I think Benner thought it was going wide. That’s a blood, sweat and tears goal.”

Lawson spent considerable time afterward building his team up.

“I’m not unhappy. The frustration lies in we’ve got to finish our chances,” Lawson said.

“Down at state, just like this, you’re going to get a few chances to score – maybe even just one quality chance. You have to capitalize.”

3A District I-II

Bonners Ferry 1, St. Maries 0: A goal from 25 yards out in the 27th minute was all the Badgers needed as they shut out the Lumberjacks at Lakeland High School.

The question was whether a Badger touched it or if it was an own goal. The Badgers claim that Andre Zarate touched the ball, but the Lumberjacks beg to differ, claiming it bounced off a defender’s back.

“If not for a deflection, we’d be going to state,” St. Maries coach Chris Renaldo said.

BF (11-6-1) will take on Teton (17-2-0) when state begins Thursday at Vallivue High School in Caldwell.

St. Maries ends the season at 9-9-2.