Vallivue edges CdA

A mere foot was all that prevented Coeur d'Alene from taking the defending Division II state football champion to the brink of an upset Friday night.

Trailing 10-7 to Vallivue with 1 minute, 2 seconds left in the first-round playoff game, Vikings kicker Derek Plumlee sized up a 26- yard field goal. He kicked it high into the November sky, but it sailed wide left by no more than a foot.

Plumlee pleaded with the officials to call it good, but to no avail.

Vallivue then ran out the clock for the 10-7 victory.

Vallivue (10-0) advances to play West rival Bishop Kelly in the semifinals next Friday. Coeur d'Alene, in the playoffs for the first time since 1994, finished 8-2.

Coeur d'Alene may have advanced, had it not been for stifling penalties and three fumbles. "They're a good football team," Coeur d'Alene coach Shawn Amos said. "You can't give them all that and expect to win."

For the game, the Vikings were flagged eight times for 79 yards. The final one was a backfire on a plan by the Vikings.

Using Ziegler to the right, Ziegler to the left, and Ziegler up the middle, the Vikings drove 80 yards to the Vallivue 4.

Facing third-and-3 from the 4, quarterback Kyle Ahlf rushed the offense up to the line, and quickly called a play for running back Paul Ziegler. Ziegler was met violently at the line, bringing up fourth-and-3.

It proved to be the final rush in a brilliant season for Ziegler. On the night, he gained 215 yards on 35 carries and a touchdown against a stingy defense, and finished the season with 2,082 yards in 10 games. Last week, Ziegler was offered a scholarship to the University of Idaho.

"We had it going up the middle, and it was going to Paul all the way," Ahlf said. "We were going on (the count of) two in hopes of getting a couple more yards, but they stuffed it."

On fourth down, Ahlf barked out the signals trying to draw the Falcons offside. Instead, one of his own linemen moved, backing up the Vikings 5 yards.

"We were trying to pull them offsides, but we also had a play called," Ahlf said.

A few of the other penalties were drive-killers.

An illegal-shift penalty wiped out a 21-yard pass play in Vallivue territory in the first half. On the next play, Ahlf fumbled, and the Falcons recovered.

Midway through the third quarter, a holding penalty negated a 27- yard pass play. The Vikings picked up 33 on the next play, but another holding penalty erased a 13-yard run deep in Vallivue's end.

Vallivue, on the other hand, did just enough to escape with the win.

Struggling to move the ball throughout, quarterback Seth Stokes broke loose for Vallivue's only big offensive play of the game. Calling his own number, Stokes raced 53 yards down the sideline, and was knocked out at the 6-yard line.

Two plays later, fullback Justin Hyde scored from 2 yards out to give the Falcons an early 7-0 lead.

Big play No. 2 came late in the third quarter. As Ziegler found a seam, the ball was knocked out of his hands, and all-state cornerback Luke Carson recovered.

The Vikings, like they had all night, held on the ensuing drive, but Carson booted a 41-yard field goal to make it 10-7 as the third quarter ended.

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