Lakeside platoons its way to a 3-0 start

There’s everything to be said for depth, as Lakeside can attest one-third of the way into the Northeast A League football season.

The Eagles, with a turnout including 30 juniors, have two-platooned their way to a 3-0 start following last week’s 35-14 win in Colfax.

“As much as anything we’ve been able to wear people out,” said coach Brian Dunn. “We have talented kids and keep throwing fresh bodies out there.”

Friday’s win was a case in point. After “getting smacked between the eyes,” said Dunn, Lakeside needed special teams play – a blocked punt for one score and 80-yard kickoff return to set up another – for a 14-7 halftime lead. But as the game wore on, so did the Eagles wear on the Bulldogs.

Lakeside has averaged 34 points per game despite returning only two offensive regulars from last year’s state playoff team, lineman Ben Fuson and receiver Jordan Lewis. Seven starters returned on defense. One, Jake Graham, has switched to offense.

He joins a new quarterback, junior Brady Blankenvoort; explosive Eric VanMeter full-time, and state wresting champion Reid Chivers, in his first year of Eagles football.

Chivers has scored six touchdowns, including a 42-yard return of Graham’s blocked punt against Colfax, and Van Meter has four. Most of the offensive line is manned by juniors as well.

“We always showcase our seniors, but a lot of (young) kids got experience last year,” said Dunn. “We’re still pretty young, too, that’s the scary part.”

The decision to entirely two-platoon has been a bonus. They did so, Dunn explained, because the Eagles have a lot of “5-foot-9, 175-pound kids with the same ability.”

The offense and defense practice separately, save for a weekly 20-minute scrimmage. “They’re so competitive we don’t do it much,” said Dunn. “One thing we have is numbers and that’s how you take advantage of what you have.”

Fast times at Highlander

A revamped course, due to construction at Shadle Park, and ideal conditions led to fast times at the Highlander Invitational cross country meet.

Not the least of those was the performance by Shadle sophomore Andrea Nelson, whose 14:08 was third-fastest in race history. Flathead’s Zoe Nelson and Mt. Spokane’s Megan O’Reilly, who ran 13:52 and 13:53, respectively, are the only two to have run faster.

(Incidentally, O’Reilly missed her freshman year at the University of Montana with an injury. She was healthy all summer, said Grizzlies coach Tom Raunig, until experiencing back pain after a run in late August and is still primarily water running at this point. Hopefully, he said, she will return at the end of the cross country season.)

“I alluded earlier to two different time trials at different sites where Andrea shattered her records,” said Highlanders coach Bob Isitt. “She’s just a sophomore having fun. She’s always loved to compete, now she loves running.”

In beating Davis’ Sandra Martinez for the second straight year (Martinez’s 14:18 ranks fourth all-time), Nelson became the first to win the girls varsity race as a freshman and sophomore. She set the pace, weathered a challenge and pulled away.

“Martinez caught her with one-half mile to go and I thought, ‘oh, no,’ ” said Isitt. “Andrea looked at her and said, ‘bye, bye.’ “

Mt. Spokane’s Allen Schroeder also won for the second straight year as he and Ferris’ Adam Thome ran the fastest sophomore race in meet history with 12:35 and 12:38 times. They beat the old record of 12:55. And LC runners Derek Alcorn and Chris Ennis moved to fifth and sixth at 12:59 and 13:03.

Numerous others cracked the all-time top 10, including Gonzaga Prep freshman Collin Overbay, who tied for seventh in his race. Mead freshman Baylee Mires tied for seventh among varsity girls at 14:53 and another Panther freshman, Amanda Sams, ran seventh all-time in her age group.

“We ran on the track for 400 meters and added a hill,” said Isitt. “There were two laps instead of three. But it was the same length and same ground. It was just a good running day.”

•Upcoming: Wednesday is the Greater Spokane League showdown at Ferris among league favorites. In the girls race, at approximately 5 p.m., Central Valley and Mead square off, and in the boys race that follows it’s North Central, Central Valley and Mead vying for supremacy, joined by the defending state champion, but youthful Saxons, who were beaten by Mt. Spokane last week.