Boys soccer makes state tourney

BONNERS FERRY — With the fall sports season coming to a close, the Bonners Ferry Boys Soccer team is still making goals. With their Oct. 12 game against the Timberlake Tigers in the District 1 playoffs in the Intermountain League 3A bracket, the boys came home with a 1-0 win, which advances them to the State Tournament in Caldwell, Idaho.

“We were tied 0-0 at halftime, but the boys had the edge in possession time and shots on goal. District play is always played at a higher caliber,” said Coach Wayne Wilkerson. “That’s the goal that moved the team to state. Our defense and midfield players are the ones that kept us in the game and gave us all those chances.”

Eric King scored on a rebound of a Drew Foster shot in the 43rd minute, and the second-seeded Badgers held on late for a 1-0 win over the top-seeded Tigers at the Sunrise Rotary Fields in Rathdrum.

It is the 13th straight district title for Bonners Ferry (10-5-1) and coach Wayne Wilkerson, whose team advances to the state 3A tournament starting today against Weiser (9-5-2) at Vallivue High in Caldwell.

“We have a solid crew this year,” Wilkerson said after the district championship. “They’re just meshing really well right now. And our midfielders are as well. The kids know how I coach and what I expect, and they played well tonight.”

With the season looming behind them, the boy’s soccer team has come together to form a force to be reckoned with as they bring the Badger spirit to the upcoming fight for the title.

Hagadone News Network sportswriter Jason Elliott contributed to this story