The two teams met Oct. 8, and Prairie dismantled Lapwai 58-26. The Wildcats had six turnovers in that one, and coach Josh Leighton is hoping his team will avoid the same fate.

“We weren’t consistent,” Leighton said. “For example, we drove the ball down to the 1-yard line right before halftime and we had a bad snap. We can’t turn the ball over like we did last time.”

Lapwai hasn’t beat Prairie since 2016, which also was the last time the Wildcats won a league title.

“They’ve been consistently dominant,” Leighton said “They’re always in the playoffs and they’ve played in state title games. They’re just so consistent, the only time Prairie loses consistency is in the game and that’s if you’re lucky.”

 

The Wildcats offense is directed by University of Idaho basketball commit quarterback Titus Yearout. The Prairie defense did a good job limiting Yearout in their previous contest, forcing two interceptions. The mobile quarterback also was held to 36 rushing yards.

 

“Contain is the keyword. You have to keep him in the pocket,” Prairie coach Ryan Hasselstrom said. “We have to put pressure on him because he has receivers that can get open down the field. Our defensive

backs will have to play the best game they’ve played all year on Friday.”

The threat of Yearout running the ball also is going to be in the back of the minds of Prairie’s players.

“Even if you take away everything in the passing game, you have to worry about what he can do with his legs,” Hasselstrom said. “We have to make sure we get him out of his comfort zone.”

The Wildcats limited Clearwater Valley’s rushing attack this past Friday. Leighton is hoping that his team can build on that success.

“A lot of what they do scheme-wise is similar to what Prairie does,” he said. “Prairie executes the run plays on a higher level than Clearwater Valley does, but it’s the same core plays with the dives, cross backs, and tosses. It’s their bread and butter, having that data against Prairie might help us ... might.”