The Lakeland Hawks set the bar high after a massive win for the Hawks in the first round of the 5A playoffs.
Beating the Shelley Russets 42-14, the Hawks showed everyone they mean business. A home playoff victory is not something Rathdrum hears too often, but they do now. This game was a shutout. Despite weather conditions beating brutal with rain and wind chill, nothing took the Hawks’s eyes off this win.
Haydon Benson ended the night with 10 completions and two touchdowns. Completing one of the touchdowns to Lakelands starting linebacker Terry Davis. Davis showed everyone that not only is he a threat on defense, he’s dangerous on offense. Catching a touchdown only a couple yards out adding to the Hawk’s big team score. Everyone wanted to get in on this end-zone action. Cash Lund, a two-way player for the Hawks, also found his way into the endzone.
“We got a lot of guys that just show up when they need to no matter the position and it’s awesome to see,” Benson said.
Running back Lovie Weil did not find the endzone in this game, but that doesn’t mean he was a key component in this week’s victory. Weil led the team in rushing with 156 yards, and he did it in 25 carries. He’s a team player, doing whatever it takes to push for those extra yards to set his team up for a big score.
The Hawks collectively had 308 all-purpose yards, and Weil had 156 of those, which truly shows how important he is to a Hawk victory. The Hawks are now preparing for the second round of this 5A playoff bracket.
With the win against Shelley, they are now set to play Vallivue High School in Hawk territory. Vallivue has the same record as the Hawks, and they also only lost to the powerhouse Bishop Kelly by a single touchdown. A game for the ages is coming upon Rathdrum, Idaho, and the Hawks are ready to stand their ground and protect the nest.
