Lewiston Tribune

December 20, 2022

For Lewiston, Lapwai, each team must go 1-0 this week

By TREVAN PIXLEY SPORTS STAFF Oct 20, 2022 Updated 5 hrs ago  Comments

This week serves as the regular-season finale for Idaho high school football. Meanwhile, teams in Washington still have two games to go.

Idaho has two league games that will either send a team to the playoffs or end their season prematurely. In the Evergreen state, there’s a game to decide the leader of the Class 2A Greater Spokane League.

Let’s get into it:

Coeur d’Alene at Lewiston

The Bengals (6-2, 1-1) will take on the Vikings (4-4, 1-1) at 7 p.m. Friday at Bengal Field with Class 5A Inland Empire League’s second berth to the postseason on the line. (Barring a Lake City over Post Falls upset, which will cause a Kansas tiebreaker)

There also is a slim chance for an at-large bid for the loser, but teams down south have a higher priority over the Bengals and Vikings

So with everything practically sitting on a silver platter for Lewiston, all it has to do is win.

That seems to be easier said than done since Bengals’ coach Matt Pancheri is 5-12 against 5A IEL teams in his six-year tenure as head coach.

None of those wins have come against the Vikings. Pancheri’s Bengals are 0-5 all-time against Coeur d’Alene, losing by an average of 32 points.

“We have a lot of kids who don’t want this to be their last game,” Pancheri said. “We talked about how much time and effort they put into football this year, and we have to keep putting in that effort to keep the season alive.”

Lewiston’s offense will have to continue to dominate like it has most of the season. It averages 45 points per outing and has scored more than four touchdowns in all of its games.

The Vikings’ offense hasn’t been able to put up those numbers, averaging 14 points per game. What’s kept them alive has been their defense. Coeur d’Alene allows almost 20 points per game, the seventh-best in the state.

“They have a lot of talent on that side of the ball,” Pancheri said. “They’re really fast on the edges.”

Lapwai at Genesee

Two playoff spots already have been secured in the Whitepine League Division I by Kamiah and Clearwater Valley.

One spot remains. Lapwai (4-3, 3-3) has the most direct route as it hosts Genesee (1-7, 0-6) at 1 p.m. on Saturday. For the Wildcats, if they win, they’re in.

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However, a Lapwai loss skews things. A Bulldogs win and a Prairie victory Friday against Logos (3-5, 2-4) will give the Pirates (3-4, 3-3) the spot.

Potlatch (4-3, 3-3) also could sneak in if it defeats Kamiah (7-1, 6-0) and Prairie and Lapwai each lose.

Here’s where it could get really funky. If Genesee beats Lapwai, Potlatch and Prairie escape with wins along with a Troy victory against Clearwater Valley, it’ll create a four-way tie for third place. That scenario still favors Lapwai.

The bottom line: All the Wildcats have to do is win.

“It’s awesome doing this with a team of mostly first-year players,” Leighton said. “Not a whole lot of kids came into this year with varsity experience, so after dealing with the injuries, it is pretty amazing to have a shot.”

What a difference a couple of months make. Lapwai was banged up after its 34-28 season-opening loss to Kamiah. Three games in and sitting at 1-2, the Wildcats seemed to be dead in the water. But after stringing together three consecutive victories while getting healthy, Lapwai is dangerous.

However, the Wildcats know Genesee (1-7, 0-6) isn’t going to just roll over.

“They’re scrappy and not overly big,” he said. “But this isn’t going to be an easy game. No games in our league ever are. As long as we stick to what we do, we should be able to control the game.”

Clarkston at Shadle Park

Clarkston (5-2, 4-1) faces off against Shadle Park (5-2, 4-0) at 1 p.m. Saturday in Spokane for sole possession of first place in the Class 2A Greater Spokane League.

The Bantams learned a lot about themselves after their 52-12 loss Sept. 9 to cross-town rival Lewiston. Since, they’ve won three of their past four.

“After the (Lewiston) loss, I think we just realized how much it takes to win games,” Clarkston coach Brycen Bye said. “It’s prepared us for games like this one.

The Highlanders will be the most explosive offense the Bantams have faced since the Bengals. Running back Beckett Ensminger and receiver Jordan Dever are as good as any duo in the state.

In Shadle Park’s 30-24 overtime win Oct. 6 at Pullman, the two combined for more than 70 percent of the Highlanders’ offensive yards.

“It’s going to be a team effort,” Bye said. “We’re pretty familiar with them from scrimmages and seeing them play last year.”