Josh Mort Post Falls Year: Junior Sport: Football Position: Running Back

Lewiston High School football coach Nick Menegas’ worst nightmare was realized Friday.

Menegas feared that Post Falls running back Josh Mort would inflict serious damage on his team. And that’s exactly what transpired.

Mort gained a mind-numbing 286 yards on 38 carries and scored four touchdowns to lead Post Falls to a convincing 41-20 victory over Lewiston. It was the Trojans’ first win over a Lewiston team since the teams started playing in 1980.

“He’s the best back in the state, bar none,” Menegas said. “He’s even better than I thought he was. He’s unstoppable.”

And here’s the scary thought: Mort is just a junior.

“There were plenty of instances where we had the play stopped at the line of scrimmage, but he ended up making something happen every time,” Menegas said. “He’s the type of back that keeps getting better as the game wears on.”

Added Post Falls coach Jerry Lee: “He’s one of the toughest kids I’ve been around. He took some shots and kept on going.”

Mort gained 100 yards on 17 carries in the first half including one touchdown. But he punished Lewiston for 186 more yards on 21 attempts and three TDs in the second half.

“He’s going to keep getting better,” Menegas added.

What’s impressive about Mort’s second-half play in particular is he did it in pain. On his first carry in the third quarter, he got a stinger in his back.

Mort was quick to share the praise with his offensive linemen, especially the right side of the line: from center Mike McKeown to right guard Jeremy Wallace to right tackle Kurt Selberg and tight end Austin Lee.

But he stopped short of calling his performance the best of his career. “I thought I played well in the state playoffs (last year),” he said.

When Mort was told how close he was to the 300-yard mark Friday, he wanted to stay in the game for a couple more carries.

“I really wanted 300 yards,” he said, smiling.

With two 200-yard games so far this season, it’s a good bet he’ll make another run at 300.

Mort’s 286 yards is still quite shy of the single-game school record.

Roger Ziegler set the school mark in 1979 with 333 yards. He also owns the record for most yards in a season (1,753). Mort has gained 775 yards through four games and needs to average just 2 more yards more per game than his current average (194) in the Trojans’ five final regular-season games to break Ziegler’s season record.

And with the possibility of as many as three playoff games, Mort could set a mark that could stand for years to come.

As Mort stopped short of calling his effort against Lewiston his best, he also said his team can play much, much better.

“If we all got it together in the same game it could be real scary,” he said.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo