.png)
ST. MARIES – The Priest River Spartans football team kept their winning streak alive with a 24-8 win over rival St. Maries Friday at St. Maries.
“It definitely was a battle out there,” Priest River coach Alex Zepeda says. The teams played a mostly scoreless first half, but St. Maries scored just before the half ended, their only touchdown of the game. Priest River trailed 8-0 at the end of the first half.
“We knew we had to adjust, and the team came out in the second half and found a way to win,” Zepeda says. That way was rushing.
While the Spartans’ top rusher Sawyer Staudt still rushed for a touchdown, he didn’t gain the most Spartan yards.
That distinction went to Nate Fegert, who carried 11 times for 207 yards and three touchdowns. It was the Spartans second consecutive game where a runner gained 200 yards.
Last week it was Staudt, this week Fegert.
“Teams have been keying in on Sawyer Staudt because of the incredible season he’s having, but that really opens the door for other players to make an impact,” Zepeda says. “Nate Fegert made the most of every opportunity when his number was called.”
Zepeda says the offensive line was a big reason for the rushing success.
“I can’t say enough about our offensive line,” Zepeda says. “Before last week, Priest River had never had a 200-yard rusher in a single game, and now we’ve done it in back-to-back weeks with two separate players.”
Zepeda says the victory ensures a winning season.
“Beating St. Maries for the first time in over a decade is huge for us, and with five wins now, we’ve secured our first winning season in more than 10 years,” he says.
The Spartans mostly stayed on the ground, but quarterback Lucas Mathews completed two of five passes for 31 yards. He hit Staudt with one pass that resulted in a 23-yard gain and Ian Lamanna for a six-yard gain.
Mathews also carried once for 12 yards.
In addition to Staudt’s eight carries for 61 yards, Colton Kuprienko carried four times for 28 yards.
Kuprienko also had a good defensive game, as did the team. He had a pair of sacks and two tackles for loss.
Layton Goins led Spartan tackling with 14 tackles and a pass break up. Lucas Simcox, had 11 tackles, including a tackle for a loss and a pass break up and Niki Porinchok also had 11 tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss.
Gavin Griesemer had a tackle and a sack, as well as a tackle for a loss.
Priest River next hosts Kellogg for Senior Night Friday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m.
