Scraping by the skin of their teeth, the Lakeland Hawks (4-4, 1-3) kept their season afloat with a clutch 28-24 victory in their homecoming game on Oct. 13 against the Timberlake Tigers (4-4) in a contest that was much closer than anticipated.
Lakeland sprinted out of the gates with three straight victories to begin the 2023 season before injuries and tough matchups slowed the momentum and brought the Hawks into a midseason lull. After losing four consecutive games by wide margins, the Hawks battled back to .500 in a must-win game that had playoff implications for Mike Schroeder’s team.
After losing to Sandpoint the week prior, Lakeland once again lost their chance of stealing a district title from the Bulldogs. Sandpoint clinched the 4A Inland Empire League for the fourth straight season with a dominant win over Moscow, meaning the Hawks will require an at-large berth in Idaho’s extended postseason format.
Lakeland’s offense has catapulted from rock bottom to efficient in a matter of two weeks. Whether it was getting crucial offensive pieces Lovie Weil and Jace Taylor back from injury, or implementing more passes into the offense, Lakeland has scored seven touchdowns in the past two games after only scoring one in the three prior games combined.
With Lakeland’s most targeted receiver Ezra Benson missing the game against Timberlake due to a concussion, senior receiver Roan Reilly caught five passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns and played a huge role in the Hawks’ win over their cross-district rivals.
“We are finally starting to pass the ball more times each game, and it is getting the offense moving,” Reilly said. “It’s going to be huge to be able to pass down the field in the playoffs against bigger schools.”
Reilly had high praise for the sophomore quarterback Peyton Hillman and his ability to step into the quarterback role midseason and become “a guy the team can rely on to command the offense for the rest of the season.”
After struggling to settle in against 5A powerhouses Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene, Hillman played well against Sandpoint, and even better against Timberlake. He finished the Tigers off with two passing and rushing touchdowns and completed 7 of 8 passes for 153 yards. While the Hawks still clearly prefer to run the football, the improvement in the passing game makes this offense extremely dangerous.
Cooper Lenz rushed all over the field for the Tigers, carrying 17 times for 196 yards and two scores. Lovie Weil carried 17 times for 105 yards for the Hawks and reached the 100-yard mark for the fourth time in six games played.
Both teams exchanged a series of offensive blows in the first half, and the Hawks held a 28-14 lead at halftime. The second half was much more of a slugfest in the trenches, and both offenses struggled.
Timberlake drew within a touchdown in the third quarter but was unable to get into the endzone in the fourth quarter. With a few minutes remaining, coach Schroeder elected to purposely take a safety in order to get good field position, and it paid off.
The Hawks had a terrific goal-line stand in which the Tigers were held for six consecutive plays inside the five-yard line.
“Hitting their quarterback and not letting anyone get any leverage for that many plays in a row was crazy and made the difference in the game,” Reilly said.
The Hawks will play in a crucial home game against the Moscow Bears for the regular season finale on Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. for senior night. The Hawks need a win to have a good chance for a playoff berth.
