Hawks fall to 4-1 in defensive thriller

The streak has been snapped. The Lakeland Hawks got off to a spectacular 4-0 start to the season ahead of their game with the Couer d’Alene Vikings on Sep. 19. Entering halftime, the Vikings led 14-13, and they kept that lead throughout an intense, scoreless second half.

Vikings head coach Shawn Amos said, “Any team that is 4-0 is good. It doesn’t matter what has happened in the past or how big the program is; Lakeland is a good football team, hands down. They stick to their run game, and we are aware of the talented runningbacks. I would be upset at my guys if they weren’t taking this team as seriously as any other opponent.”

The Vikings came into the game with a 1-2 record and knew they had a challenge ahead of them, despite not having lost to Lakeland since 2001. The Hawks fought with all their strength and fell just short of what would’ve been a statement win for Mike Schroeder’s team.

Through the first quarter, Amos and the Vikings were frazzled and thrown off after the Hawk’s offense cut through a top defense in the state. The Hawks easily drove down the field on their first two possessions, scoring on a 30-yard field goal from Owen Forsman and a 15-yard touchdown reception by Ezra Benson.

Sophomore Landen Burmeister played more than he typically would for the Hawk’s defense. He played the entire second half at defensive end as a sophomore against a stonewall Vikings offensive line. “It was a great opportunity to compete against a better offense and improve. I had a good opportunity to prove myself to the coaches,” said Burmeister.

Colton Farrar carried the Viking’s air game with eight receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown. They got it done on the ground, rushing for 150 yards as a team.

The Hawks had an equally effective run game, while the passing game fell short. After superstar runningback Thomas Calder went down with a leg injury in the second quarter that forced him to miss the rest of the game, John Cornish took control and ran for 108 yards against a stellar defense that expected him to have the ball every play and still couldn’t stop it.

Sophomore receiver Weston Saputski went down with an injury shortly after Calder, leaving the Hawk’s offense with only a couple of weapons, ultimately costing them the game.

“I feel like I had to put the team on my shoulders when Thomas got hurt because he is such a big part of the game. We expected a close game, knowing we had to work hard leading up to it all week. I feel like we took the loss personally, and at the end of the day, it made us better moving forward,” said running back John Cornish.

The Hawks have their homecoming game this Friday against the Post Falls Trojans at 7 p.m. from Corbitt Field in Rathdrum, Idaho.