Timberlake trips up Declo
The Timberlake High football team’s defense didn’t spend much time on the field in the first half.
It’s a good thing, too, because the Tigers defenders seemingly lived on the field in the second half.
It didn’t matter much in the end. Timberlake had put Declo in such a big hole that the Hornets couldn’t dig out as the Tigers stopped the visitors 35-24 in a State 3A quarterfinal playoff Saturday afternoon at Van Tuinstra Memorial Field in Spirit Lake.
Second-ranked Timberlake (10-0) will play host to Fruitland (9-1) in the semifinals Saturday at noon. Fruitland topped Gooding 48-20 in another quarterfinal.
Timberlake’s Wing T offense, especially the trapping portion behind senior guards Brandon Peters and Scott Holbrook, put Declo back on its heels immediately. Running backs Nick Puckett and John Macklin took advantage of gaping holes.
Puckett scored on runs of 73, 42 and 42 yards while Macklin, coming off inside counters, dashed 44 and 45 yards for touchdowns as the Tigers built a 35-6 lead by halftime.
“We scored too much too early in the first half,” Timberlake coach Roy Albertson said. “We lost the momentum.”
Timberlake lost the momentum and never really got it back. When the Tigers were trying to run off the final minutes, they had the scare of their playoff lives when Puckett strained some ligaments near his ankle and had to be helped off with 4 minutes remaining.
Puckett briefly put a bag of ice around the ankle. Then he talked Albertson into letting him go back in on defense, but that lasted just one play because it was obvious Puckett was favoring the ankle.
He’ll take it easy the first part of next week and should have no problem playing Saturday.
Timberlake was never in jeopardy in the second half, even when Declo scored its final TD to pull within the final margin with 7:32 to go. But defensive coordinator Gerald Ely gave the Tigers the what-for in the locker room afterward, pointing out that if they lack focus next week they won’t reach their goal of playing for the state title.
Puckett finished with 232 yards on 27 carries. Timberlake piled up 423 yards total offense.
The Tigers limited Declo (7-3) to 87 yards in the first half. But behind running back Ben Field, the Hornets moved the ball much better in the final two quarters. Field finished with 145 yards on 21 attempts.
“We knew to beat a team like Declo we’d have to kill their will because we found on film that they like to lead and then play ball control,” Puckett said. “So we knew we had to get a lead and make them catch up. So we tried to kill their will to win at first. It just deteriorated (in the second half). But all in all, we’re playing next week.”
State 1A: Troy eliminated host Wallace from the playoffs with a 38-13 victory.