Bengals Still Team To Beat State Champion Lewiston Could Get A Challenge From Sandpoint

He may be the new head football coach at Post Falls High School, but Jeff Choate is a quick learner when it comes to Inland Empire League history.

“The road to the Inland Empire League championship goes through Lewiston,” Choate said.

Lewiston, coming off its best season in school history, graduated its top two players: do-everything quarterback Brad Rice and fullback/ linebacker Laki Ah Hi.

In fact, 1996 was a special year in the IEL in more ways than one. The league featured five players who would ultimately sign letters of intent with NCAA Division I schools. They were: Rice (Idaho) and Ah Hi (Idaho), Austin Lee of Post Falls (Stanford), Jeremy Thielbahr (Washington State) and Ryan Knowles (Idaho) of Sandpoint.

Is it fair to predict that Lewiston will duplicate its 12-0 record and State A-1 Division II championship?

No and Yes. No, the Bengals probably won’t go undefeated. Yes, the Bengals will be in the hunt for a state title. In fact, consider Lewiston the preseason favorite to repeat. Under coach Nick Menegas - arguably the best coach in the state - the Bengals shoot for nothing less each year.

This is Lewiston’s final year in A-1 Division II. The Bengals join Division I next year for football only, and will likely continue as a league participant.

The Bengals could be as explosive offensively this season as they were last year.

As usual, Menegas will accentuate his team’s strengths. While the offense revolved around Rice’s athletic abilities last year - he was considered more dangerous running with the ball than throwing it - Menegas will throw more than run with Rice’s replacement, senior Sennett Pierce.

What place in history could Pierce find at Lewiston, otherwise known as Quarterback University under Menegas? Near the top.

Or so says Menegas going into Friday’s season opener.

“Our passing game is as good as it’s been for as long as I remember,” he said.

Pierce will have a stable of fleet-footed receivers and one of the top sprinters in the state lined up in the backfield.

Where the Bengals could struggle, at least initially, is on defense. That’s where the biggest loss to graduation - Ah Hi - will be felt.

“That’s our real question mark,” Menegas said. “We have virtually no varsity experience in our front seven or eight. We’re not nearly as physical as I want to be. We were real spoiled with Laki. He made things real simple for us defensively.”

If the Bengals don’t solidify the defense they could be knocked off the IEL throne.

But the battle for the league title may be secondary to the tug of war for postseason berths.

Three IEL teams advance to the state playoffs this season, and four of the conference’s five teams appear poised to challenge for the state berths.

Sandpoint should provide Lewiston with the stiffest challenge.

The Bulldogs are solid to superior at most offensive skill positions. They will feature the top athlete in the league in senior wide receiver Caleb Bowman.

And mark this date on your IEL calendar: Oct. 24. That’s when Lewiston visits Sandpoint in a showdown that will most likely decide the league championship.

The most-improved team in the league will easily be Lake City. The Timberwolves will be seeking a pair of firsts: A winning season and playoff berth.

Choate takes over for longtime coach Jerry Lee. The Trojans will be good, but will sorely miss last year’s senior class led by Austin Lee and Josh Mort.

So the third playoff berth should be decided in another key IEL date, Oct. 17. That’s when LC visits Post Falls.

At Coeur d’Alene, first-year coach Shawn Amos has taken over a program in dire need of enthusiasm and direction. Amos provides both, but the Vikings’ senior and junior classes are athlete-thin. The future looks bright with solid sophomore and freshman classes.

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