PREP SOCCER: Both teams in District Championship game
St. Maries sophomore Madison Hillman (2) battles a Bonners Ferry senior Lindsay Onstott for the ball in a first-round game of the 3A District 1-2 girls soccer tournament at The Fields at Real Life in Post Falls.
(Photo By: JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY
Eli Newell scores against St. Maries on Sat. Oct. 7 for Senior Night.
POST FALLS — Both Badger girls soccer and boys soccer teams are set to play in the 3A Intermountain League District Championship game Wednesday night against Coeur d’Alene Charter.
3A DISTRICT 1-2 Girls
On Monday, for the girls, third-seeded Bonners Ferry knocked out sixth-seeded St. Maries in the first round of the 3A District 1-2 girls tournament at The Fields.
On Tuesday, Badgers defeated the No. 2 Timberlake Tigers in the semifinals 1-0.
“The girls played super tough and didn't give up for a moment. It paid off,” said Bonners Ferry head coach Emily Winebark.
Nolie Hiatt scored for the Badgers, goal fighting through two defenders to get a perfect shot on goal.
“I have to give special recognition to our defense, Asha Abubakari, Lindsey Onstott, AdleeMae Robles and Addy Heigel,” Winebark said. “They were relentless, holding tough players and denying Timberlake almost all opportunities to score. Lena Teele stuck right on their strongest player the entire game and shut her down completely.”
Top-seeded Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy (13-1) defeated the No. 4 Priest River (7-9) 9-0 on Tuesday.
The last time the Badgers (9-6) and Panthers met, Bonners played its strongest game against Coeur d’Alene Charter in a decade, holding them to only two goals. The winner of Wednesday’s match up advances to state, the loser will compete at a state-plan-in game on Saturday in Lewiston.
Results will run online today, Oct. 12 and be in the next edition of the Herald.
3A DISTRICT 1-2 BOYS
The boys won the 3A Intermountain league last week when they beat Priest River 6-0, Orofino 4-0 and St. Maries 8-1, after already defeating Timberlake and Charter earlier in the season.
Going into districts Bonners Ferry head coach Paul Bonnell said the team’s focus was playing as a team and communicating.
“Players began to realize that when they slip up on their end of the field it affects the rest of the team and formation,” he said. “I would have like players to understand this earlier in the season, but it was all in the right time.”
He added that by learning this now players did not become complacent in play.
Finishing out league, Bonnell wanted to recognize senior forward Eli Newell who scored four goals against Immaculate Conception and Priest River last week.
“He can play from the starting whistle to the game whistle, and has been playing very strong as we ended league play,” he said.
He said the team may have just won the league, but they need to turn and look to districts.
Due to winning the league, the Badgers did not have to play in the district quarterfinals on Monday.
No. 2 seed Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy beat No. 7 St. Maries 13-0, No. 3 Timberlake blanked No. 6 Priest River 3-0, and No. 5 Orofino downed No. 4 Grangeville 3-1 on the first day of the 3A District 1-2 boys tournament Monday at The Fields at Real Life in Post Falls.
In the semifinals, Bonners Ferry defeated Orofino, 4-0, repeating history from the week before.
Elliot Engles buried a shot in the fifth round of the penalty kick shootout to lift the second-seeded Panthers over the third-seeded Timberlake Tigers 4-2 in the shootout, clinching a berth for Cd'A Charter to the state tournament starting next Thursday at Vallivue High in Caldwell.
St. Maries finished 0-15.
Bonners Ferry (13-3-1) faced Coeur d’Alene Charter (11-4-3) on Wednesday at 8 p.m. Both are guaranteed a berth at state.
