PR Roundup: Soccer teams fall to Badgers, Football plays on red turf at EWU

PRIEST RIVER — Only one goal was scored in Tuesday's boys soccer match between Priest River and Bonners Ferry, and unfortunately the Badgers got the tally.

Bonners Ferry scored just before the half and escaped Priest River with a 1-0 Intermountain League win.

"Overall, it was a good game for us as our defense improved and only gave up one goal," head coach Daryl Hall said. "Offensively, we had many shots on goal, but we just couldn't find the back of the net ... I'm looking forward to the rest of this week and improving our standings"

The Spartans lost at Bonners Ferry 4-1 on Sept. 7. It was Priest River's first match since Sept. 16.

The Spartans (4-4, 3-3 IML) host Coeur d'Alene Charter at 6 p.m. Thursday, Grangeville at 6 p.m. Friday and Timberlake at 7 p.m. next Tuesday.

Girls soccer

The Spartans couldn't keep up with Bonners Ferry on Tuesday, dropping the home league match 6-1.

Sophomore Marley Burgess-Duquette tallied the sole goal for the Spartans.

Principal Matt George is serving as the head coach for the girls while Rob Lawler is on fire duty for the Forest Service. George said the team continues to make strides.

"This group of girls just keeps amazing me with their coachability and effort each game," he said. "With only 12 girls tonight and missing some key players, they just never quit.

Their improvement is nothing less than inspirational, a testament to the character of these fine young women."

The Spartans suffered a 6-1 defeat at Riverside (Chattaroy, Wash.) last Thursday.

Freshman Lizzie McCracken scored the lone goal on a breakaway in the second half.

"The girls played really well against Riverside," George said. "The Riverside girls consistently tried to attack the goal with a cross to the back side, but our defense held them off every time. They had a very talented front line and were able to move the ball well down the sidelines."

Lawler's absence has been challenging on the team, but George said the girls have handled the situation really well and are looking forward to getting their head coach back next week.

"Overall, I am extremely proud of the resilience these girls have shown," George said. "It is very difficult to find success in high school sports even with the best coaching and talent. These girls are getting better every day in spite of not knowing who will be coaching practices or games each day. That is a testament to their level of commitment, coachability and character. They are just amazing kids.

Priest River (3-7-1, 1-4-1 IML) hosts Coeur d'Alene Charter at 4 p.m. Thursday, Grangeville at 4 p.m. Friday and Timberlake at 5 p.m. next Tuesday.

Football

The Spartans got the opportunity of a lifetime this past Friday night.

They battled Manson on the red turf at Eastern Washington University's Roos Field.

"It was a great experience for the players, coaches and parents," head coach Jared Hughes said.

Unfortunately, Priest River was unable to walk away with its first win, falling 14-0 to the Trojans.

"It was another close game that we were in until the end of the game," Hughes said. "Due to several injuries we had to play a bunch of our freshmen and they did a great job."

Despite being shorthanded, the Spartans had a strong showing on the ground, rushing for 176 yards and 4.2 yards per carry.

Manson scored in the first quarter on a 70-yard touchdown run and in the second quarter on a 65-yard interception return. Priest River held the Trojans scoreless the rest of the way.

"Defensively, we continue to be solid," Hughes said. "We only gave up one touchdown and held Manson in check for most of the game. We also had the best goal-line stand I've seen in a few years as we stopped them from first and goal from the 6-inch line."

Hughes said Kameron Salesky had his best game of the year. He rushed for 93 yards on 25 carries and completed a 24-yard pass. He also tied with Matyus McLain for the team high in tackles with 11. McLain recorded two sacks and rushed for 49 yards on seven carries.

Landon Reynolds finished with nine total tackles and a sack. Conor Berns caught five passes for 33 yards.

The Spartans only had 33 yards through the air, and Hughes said they will be working on improving their passing attack in practice this week.

Priest River (0-4) hosts Orofino (1-3) on Saturday. The JV game is at noon, followed by the varsity at 2:30 p.m. This is the Spartans final nonleague game of the season.

Priest River 0 0 0 0 — 0

Manson 6 8 0 0 — 14

First quarter

M — Strecker 70-yard run (kick no good)

Second quarter

M — Strecker 65-yard interception return (2-point attempt good)

PRIEST RIVER INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Salesky 25-93, McLain 7-49, Berns 3-11, Goins 1-16, Johnson 3-1, Poisel 3-6.

PASSING — Johnson 4-11-3-9, Salesky 1-1-0-24.

RECEIVING — Berns 5-33

Volleyball

On Saturday, the Spartans participated in the inaugural Lakeside Chivalry Tournament in Plummer. They lost to Timberlake in two sets in the third-place match of the eight-team tournament. In pool play, the Spartans won three and lost three sets.

Tuesday's home Intermountain League match against Kellogg was postponed. The game was rescheduled to Wednesday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m.

Priest River dropped a pair of road matches in straight sets last week, falling to Wallace and rival Timberlake in an IML match.

Spartan volleyball (0-7, 0-3 IML) has a pair of league matches over the next week. They head to Bonners Ferry at 7 p.m. Thursday and Coeur d'Alene Charter at 7 p.m. next Tuesday.

Cross country

Priest River heads to the Pinehurst Golf Course on Thursday for the Ben Castro Invitational. On Saturday, the Spartans will compete in the annual Battle for the 509 at the Fairways Golf Course in Cheney, Wash.