Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Coeur d'Alene
2. Post Falls
3. Lake City
4. Lewiston
Written by: Brandon Baney
The Lewiston Bengals exploded out of the gate in 2020, outlasting Kuna 37-30 and Lake City 58-50. Those early shootouts were ultimately unsustainable over the course of a long season, and after that 2-0 start, Lewiston went 1-6 the rest of the way to finish 3-6 overall.
Departing in the offseason were two-year starting quarterback Kash Lang, as well as his top three receivers: Jared Grainger, Devin Zagelow and Jesse Ady. Senior running back Cruz Hepburn is back, though, and he will team up with senior quarterback Jace McKarcher to form what head coach Matt Pancheri calls, “one of the best running duos in the state.” The receiving core will be bolstered by junior wide receiver Jared Jelineck and junior tight end James White, who has turned a lot of heads on the summer camp circuit.
“We want to establish our running game and with Cruz Hepburn back at running back, an athletic QB, Jace McKarcher, and a solid offensive line,” Pancheri said. “I believe we can do that this year. We will be a physical offense. We are young on offense but have some big kids that have worked hard all season in the weight room and I look forward to seeing what they can accomplish.”
Defensively, the losses aren’t as significant. Defensive end Alec Eckert will be missed, but there are plenty of playmakers in the front seven that are ready to produce. “Our strength this year will be our defensive line,” Pancheri said. “Three of our four down linemen return this year.”
The defensive ends will be a pair of seniors in Chase Russell and Thor Kessinger, while junior Robert Storm will hold down a spot at defensive tackle. Senior Vincent Shriver and junior Elliot Taylor will anchor the linebackers.
“Our inside linebackers have a lot of varsity experience and I am excited to see what they can do this year,” Pancheri said. “We have some really athletic players in the secondary that are young and should give us a chance to be a really solid defense this year.”
Overall, it’s been a busy offseason filled with workouts for Lewiston. Pancheri believes their hard work will help prepare them for an Inland Empire League conference grind. Coeur d’Alene is listed as the favorite, but many feel the next three spots are wide open. “I am excited about the strength and size of our kids coming into the season,” Pancheri said. “There has been a ton of work done by those young men this past offseason and the physical preparation will really show up this year.”