Written by: Will Hoenike
You won’t meet many high school football coaches who openly and publicly put an individual goal atop his team’s list at the start of the season. However, new Lakeside head coach Jerry Louie-McGee has done just that.
If you live in the Coeur d’Alene area, which would include Plummer, you might recognize that name. He was the 5A Inland Empire League MVP at Lake City High School in 2014. And since we’re talking about individual accolades, Louie-McGee played four seasons with the Montana Grizzlies of the Big Sky Conference as a wide receiver/return specialist. He set the Big Sky Conference record for receptions in a game (21) and was an FCS All-American Punt Returner during his senior season.
His resume is impressive and he wants each and every one of his Lakeside football players to add this individual achievement to their own resumes: he wants every player to attain and maintain a 3.0 grade point average. The effort and discipline in the classroom can carry over to the football field and, “the skills you learn in football translate to life.”
The Knights went 3-6 overall last season with a lot of successes tied to the dynamic tandem of Qwincy Hall and Jarius Sijohn-Moffit in the backfield. Hall graduated, but Sijohn-Moffit returns for his senior year. He figures to be a central piece of the Lakeside offense and defense this year as the team looks to replace Hall and seven other departed seniors.
The team started 3-1 last season before faltering, including three straight heartbreakers against Wallace, Mullan-St. Regis, and Clark Fork to end the season just short of the 1A Division 2 (now 1A) playoffs.
Louie-McGee has 18 players out for football this fall which provides the team some depth. But he’s taking his time before the team’s opening game on August 23 before he decides where exactly his players will line up on gameday.
“There are lots of players competing to share reps right now,” Louie-McGee said. “So we’ll have to wait and see.”
For the Knights to take a step forward in 2024, they’ll likely need to improve consistency on defense. During the season-ending slump last fall, Lakeside surrendered 214 points, an average of more than 40 points per game. Scoring in 8-man football is generally higher than 11-man football so it isn’t like a drastic change is necessary. In the final three games, Lakeside lost by 2, 16, and 2 points. The difference between an 0-3 finish and missing the playoffs versus a potential 3-0 finish and a playoff berth was a total of 20 points.
The 1A North Star League will look a little different this fall with Mullan-St. Regis competing in Montana this fall instead of Idaho. Also, Kootenai will not field a varsity team this fall. However, there is a new team – Coeur du Christ Academy, who will play its first football game on August 23 against Lakeside.
The other goals Louie-McGee has set for his program include district and state titles. The first step comes against Coeur du Christ and includes continued effort and discipline on and off the football field. The Knights have every reason to believe they belong at the top of the North Star standings in 2024. Now it’s time for them to go take it.