CdA outscores Trojans
High-scoring shootouts are nothing new to the Coeur d’Alene football team.
As has been the case throughout this season, the Vikings successfully endured another one Friday night.
Coeur d’Alene’s defense overpowered host Post Falls for the first three quarters before the Vikings settled for a 40-29 win in an Inland Empire League matchup.
The victory was a little more one-sided than the final score indicated, and the Vikings improved to 7-2 overall and 2-1 in the IEL. Post Falls finished its season with five consecutive losses and fell to 3-6 overall, 0-3 in the IEL.
CdA begins postseason play Friday when it travels to league rival Lake City, a team that defeated the Vikings 21-18 in late September.
Vikings coach Shawn Amos was disappointed after his team let a 40-7 lead unravel and allowed Post Falls to climb back into contention.
“We won’t play much longer if we play like that,” Amos said, referring specifically to a fourth quarter in which the Vikings defense tarnished what had been a great showing by allowing 22 points in the final 12 minutes.
The only thing to stand between CdA and an unbeaten record may be its defense. CdA entered the game averaging a gaudy 36.5 points per contest, but the defense’s inability to stop opponents consistently has put undue pressure on the offense to perform each week. Before Friday night, the Vikings surrendered an average of 24.7 points a game.
Friday night’s letdown in the final stages of the game is another indicator that the Vikings must improve on defense if they want to preserve their season beyond next week.
“We got too comfortable with the lead,” CdA receiver Nate Bligh said. “We need to not be comfortable, and we’ve got to step on their throats when we get the chance.”
CdA quarterback Shea Vucinich got off to a slow start and was intercepted on his third pass attempt. He caught fire after that and completed eight of his next nine passes, including TD strikes of 37 and 76 yards to receiver Leon Duplessis. The duo’s second connection stamped an emphatic end to a drive that began at the Vikings 1.
Cody Spencer raced 67 yards for a touchdown on Coeur d’Alene’s first play from scrimmage, but the Trojans responded two possessions later with Randy Hamilton’s 6-yard touchdown scamper to knot the score at 7-7.
Vucinich capped an eight-play, 61-yard drive with a 1-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown that gave CdA a 13-7 lead. He threw two additional touchdown passes in the third quarter – a 6-yarder to tight end Brandon Welch and a 29-yarder to Bligh for a 40-7 cushion.
Vucinich completed 15 of 26 passes for 278 yards. Duplessis reeled in six receptions for 177 yards, and Bligh added four catches for 65 yards.
Still finding its way during the absence of injured quarterback Jake Salisbury, Post Falls employed a ground-oriented offense before CdA began to pull away. Salisbury’s replacement, junior Casey Dragon, completed 11 of 26 passes for 228 yards and added a 26-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Brubaker with 101/2 minutes remaining in the game.