Coeur d’Alene powers past Lake City to clinch top seed from North in Idaho 5A state playoffs

Seven, and counting.

Visiting Coeur d’Alene handled Lake City 34-0 Friday night to clinch the top seed from the North in the 5A state playoffs. The Vikings (7-1, 2-0 Inland Empire League) won their seventh straight game after losing to Skyline 22-0 in the season opener.

The Vikings weren’t perfect but they didn’t need to be against their cross-town rivals. Lake City (2-6, 1-1) and Lewiston meet next Friday in Coeur d’Alene with the winner claiming the second berth to state.

“We’ve made huge strides since the opener,” CdA coach Shawn Amos said. “We had a lot of kids playing their first varsity football (against Skyline). I use examples like Joey Naccarato and Brody Lundblad. Their last game before that was freshmen football so it was an eye-opener for them. This year is a little bit different. We don’t really have a superstar. We’re playing a ton of kids, like 40 a game. It takes a little while to gel.”

CdA appears to be meshing at the right time, winning by 24, 33, 28 and 34 in its last four outings.

“Since (Skyline) we haven’t played a perfect game,” Amos said. “Highland (27-3) was pretty close, but they’ve kept growing.”

Senior quarterback Austin Lee and Griphen Le had touchdown runs and sophomore quarterback Cole Yankoff led an 81-yard scoring drive as the Vikings built a 20-0 halftime lead.

Lee, who passed for 100 yards and ran for 39, capped CdA’s opening possession with a 13-yard keeper and then ran the two-point conversion.

The Timberwolves’ defense made a pair of stops but their offense sputtered throughout in the first half.

Joseph Vang took a screen pass from Yankoff for an 11-yard touchdown and 14-0 lead. LC fumbled on the ensuing kickoff and Yankoff’s 21-yard run on fourth-and-1 set up Le’s 3-yard scoring play.

LC was short on healthy bodies but not effort. The Timberwolves are dealing with a wave of injuries to an already thin roster. Quarterback Matt Duchow (broken hand) and running back/linebacker Dakota Kielblock (broken arm) were injured in last week’s win over Post Falls. Receiver Jason Pierard went down with a broken collarbone in practice Tuesday.

Quarterback Collin Hunter, who just returned from injury, passed for 97 yards but limped slowly into the locker room afterward. Thirteen players on LC’s season-opening roster didn’t play against Coeur d’Alene.

“We competed,” coach Van Troxel said. “I’m proud of the way we hung in there and competed but the other team was just better.”

Yankoff passed for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Le had a pair of scoring runs. Thirteen players caught at least one pass, including James Kile, who raced 60 yards for a TD in the fourth quarter.