Kline, Cheney run past Lakeland in second half

RATHDRUM – Austin Kline ran for 197 yards and two touchdowns in the second half, and the Cheney Blackhawks stymied the Lakeland Hawks 21-10 in a nonleague game Friday night.

Kline finished the game with 217 yards, and the lion’s share of the damage was done after Lakeland held the Blackhawks to just 10 first-half rushing yards.

“The first couple games of the year, we were starting slow offensively,” said first-year Cheney coach Bobby Byrd, “but I knew we had the horses, so you just got to keep going to them and keep trusting them.”

There were plenty of horses on the field on this night, but Kline was a thoroughbred. The senior tailback had touchdown runs of 74 and 69 yards.

“The second half, the holes opened,” Kline said. “Our offensive line really picked it up. They stayed on their blocks and got to the second level, which turned into touchdowns.”

Lakeland (3-1) opened the scoring six plays into the second quarter with Cade Coffey’s 25-yard field goal. The 11-play drive was highlighted by Tyrel Derrick’s bullying 37-yard run in which the senior quarterback broke six tackles.

Lakeland threatened again on its next drive, marching inside the Cheney 10. But on second-and-goal, Derrick’s shovel pass was bobbled and intercepted by Cheney’s Devon Waterman, who was chased down by Derrick at the Lakeland 40. Five plays later, Josh Martin found Chance Gleave on a slip screen, and Gleave weaved his way in for a 16-yard score, giving the Blackhawks a 7-3 lead with 50 seconds left in the first half.

Cheney (2-1) took a 14-3 lead on Kline’s 74-yarder midway through the third quarter, but the Hawks answered with a nine-play, 62-yard drive that culminated with Derrick’s 4-yard run. Senior Tuekota Tate-Vandever, who led the Hawks with 84 yards on 14 carries, had 47 yards rushing on the drive.

Down 14-10 in the fourth quarter, the Hawks had a first-and-10 at the Blackhawks’ 15. But the drive stalled when Cheney’s Brayden Butikofer sacked Derrick on fourth down. Two plays later, Kline ripped off his 69-yard jaunt.