IML Preview Football

Favored again

For most teams, returning just one starter would be called a rebuilding season.

Not at Timberlake. The Tigers are just reloading.

Timberlake, which has qualified for the state playoffs seven straight years under eighth-year coach Roy Albertson, has 30 lettermen and a turnout of 85 seniors through freshmen. Junior Alan Foote (6-foot-3, 295 pounds), a two-way lineman, is the lone returning starter.

It could be a good year for Timberlake to break in an inexperienced team. Overall, the league is expected to be down.

Bonners Ferry was hopeful of challenging Timberlake for the league title. But a lower-than-expected turnout has coach Ed DePriest hoping his team can at least snare the second of the two playoff spots.

“We have no depth at all,” DePriest said. “All of our starters will go both ways.”

Difficult schedule

Timberlake has its most difficult nonleague schedule ever.

The Tigers opened at Libby, Mont., last Saturday, falling 26-22 to a team that’s been a power in Montana in recent years.

Also on the schedule are in-district rival Lakeland, Fruitland, the defending 3A state champ in Idaho, and Moscow, which is favored to win the 4A Inland Empire League.

Timberlake suffered a key loss at Libby. Dalton Chamberlain, a two-way starter at running back and linebacker, broke his arm in the same spot he did last fall. He most likely is out for the season.

Although the Tigers lost their opener, they showed well. They piled up 522 yards total offense, 245 coming through the air from the arm of junior quarterback Brian Cronnelly.

New coaches

John Trana takes over at Priest River, replacing Jared Hughes. Trana was an assistant at Sandpoint and was a head coach previously in Colorado.

Craig Tefft, head baseball coach at St. Maries, takes on the head football job. He replaces Jason Hall, who had to take a job in Alaska.