Written by: Brandon Baney
It’s been a while since the Lake City Timberwolves were the dominant power in the city of Coeur d’Alene.
The year was 2006, and Lake City went a perfect 12-0 en route to the school’s second state championship on the gridiron.
But since then, the football conversation has been dominated by the blue-and-red-clad Coeur d’Alene Vikings across town.
Byron Hout was a junior on that 2006 Lake City team, and led his alma mater as head coach for the first time in 2023. The Timberwolves went 2-7, but proved to be a difficult opponent for the competition.
The script would usually go something like this: hang tough for a half or three quarters, then eventually wear down against deeper, stronger teams.
But Hout’s initial run at Lake City laid the groundwork for what promises to be a step forward in 2024.
“I am excited to see the growth from Year 1 to Year 2 for our staff, and our players,” says Hout. “We’ll see if our preparation in the offseason and our weight room and offseason skill progression can pay off.”
The first step will be increasing the offensive production from a unit that cracked the 14-point mark just twice.
“We have a good mix of running backs and four returning starters on the offensive line,” says Hout.
Senior Gabe Wullenwaber figures to be the primary running back, while junior Bronson Best is expected to lead the blockers up front.
Jacob Hill leads a group of lean, athletic wide receivers, and if Lake City can strike a balance between run and pass, their offense could reach the next level.
“We want to improve our third down conversion percentage from last year,” says Hout. “Our goal is 70%.”
Lake City was strong defensively a year ago, but as mentioned above, they simply wore down as games (and the season) went along.
“We communicate well and run to the ball efficiently,” says Hout. “But we want to be better tacklers.”
Indeed, Lake City’s defense returns one of the best communicators in the league in senior linebacker Garrett Leonard. He’s flanked by junior linebacker Cade Fledderman, while senior cornerback Michael Martindale and senior safety Braden Merideth are also excellent defenders.
Overall, the Timberwolves have scheduled aggressively to prepare for their two-game Inland Empire League sprint against Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls, both playoff teams a year ago.
In the month of September, the Timberwolves will host Washington’s Wenatchee High and Idaho’s defending state champion Highland Rams, followed by back-to-back road trips to Washington for games against Gig Harbor and Yakima’s Eisenhower High.
If they can pick up some momentum in there, it could set Lake City up for a nice October run. The Timberwolves will travel to Coeur d’Alene High on October 11th, and host Post Falls in the regular season finale October 25th in a game that could make the difference between participating in the postseason or watching from the sidelines.