Undefeated Lake City dominates on defense
Going into the 2006 season, Lake City High football coach Van Troxel suspected his defense had the potential to be the best in school history.
For the first eight weeks of the season, though, the Timberwolves defense had been overshadowed to a degree. In Lake City’s 5A Inland Empire League-clinching victory Friday, the defense had a little bit of a coming out party.
The Timberwolves defense set up many of Lake City’s touchdowns as the No. 1-ranked T-Wolves put a 55-20 cuffing on Lewiston.
LC (9-0), the unanimous top pick this week, will play host to crosstown rival Coeur d’Alene (7-2) Friday in the first round of the state playoffs.
CdA secured its playoff berth with a 40-29 win at Post Falls.
Troxel had many things to smile about. Tops on the list, though, was the play of the defense.
“The difference maker in all these games is really the defense,” Troxel said. “They just came out and really played hard. They caused turnovers and scored touchdowns. They’re the key to our success going into the playoffs. The defense is really solid. I think it’s the one ingredient that some other people don’t have.”
LC senior linebacker Chris Bobbitt returned a muffed punt attempt 18 yards for the third of five first-quarter touchdowns, and Bobbitt had one of two first-half interceptions.
It was the play of the defense early in the third quarter that put an exclamation point on things. Cornerbacks Wilson Bowlby and Kyle Graves returned interceptions 46 and 50 yards, respectively, for TDs that extended LC’s lead to 55-6 with 5:14 remaining in the third period.
“We’ve been practicing hard all year and our (defensive backs) have stepped up and our linebackers have made the plays,” Bowlby said. “We played really well. Eight turnovers is pretty good.”
The Bengals had seemingly just stepped off the bus when they found themselves trailing 7-0 after LC’s first play. Senior quarterback Garren Hammons hit junior wide receiver Kyle Johnson in stride on a streak up the sideline for a 51-yard TD.
It’s a play that offensive assistant coach Kelly Reed has wanted to call right out of the gate all season, Troxel said.
“Coach Reed’s been dying to do that on the first play all season,” Troxel said, smiling. “We let them go. You couldn’t run it much faster (than Johnson) and throw it much deeper than what those two did. It was a good way to start.”
Before Lewiston (4-5) knew what had hit it, LC built a 34-0 lead with 1 minute remaining in the first quarter.
Lewiston coach Emmett Dougherty thought his team had as much to do with its initial problems as the T-Wolves.
“It seemed that everything that could go wrong went wrong,” Dougherty said. “We gave up that touchdown on the first play and then we turned around and had the fumbled snap on the punt and give it to them there and turn around and fumble and give them the short field again. You just can’t do that with them. You’ve got to make them earn it and we didn’t make them earn it.”
Dougherty said he didn’t really know how good LC is because he didn’t think his team put up much of a fight.