Rocky Mountain was ‘waiting’ for this senior’s big night. It came against Coeur d’Alene
Rocky Mountain coach Chris Culig wasn’t the least bit surprised by Troy Wilkey’s performance.
The Coeur d’Alene football team, on the other hand, appeared sufficiently stunned.
Wilkey served as a one-man wrecking crew Friday, spearheading the Grizzlies’ 30-7 nonconference victory over the Vikings at Rocky Mountain High.
“It was a huge game, but it’s stuff that he can do and he does in practice. He’s so dynamic,” Culig said. “I’ve been waiting for a breakout game like that.”
Wilkey, a 5-foot-9, 160-pound safety, started his big night by blocking a Coeur d’Alene (0-2) field-goal attempt in the second quarter, flying off the edge and pouncing on the football courtesy of a big block from teammate Parker Weatherly.
“It was a big momentum change, because that would have been their first score,” said Wilkey, who has offers from Carroll College and the College of Idaho. “It just kind of flipped the roles a little bit.”
After Rocky Mountain’s quarterback threw an interception, Wilkey turned the tables once again, picking off Coeur d’Alene quarterback Jamison Kizziar and returning the ball 55 yards for a touchdown to give the Grizzlies (2-0) a 20-0 lead at halftime.
But Wilkey wasn’t done yet.
He put the finishing touches on Rocky Mountain’s victory with a 68-yard punt return with 8:57 left in the fourth quarter to establish the final margin.
“Troy is a dog,” Rocky Mountain senior running back Art Williams said. “He works his (butt) off. ... He’s always pushing the team to do better, and he’s a great leader on the defense.”
While Wilkey worked his magic on defense and special teams, Williams made the most of nine carries, rushing for 145 yards — an average of 16.1 yards per touch — and a score. He gained more than half his yardage on 76-yard near-touchdown run in the closing seconds of the third quarter that put the Grizzlies on the Coeur d’Alene 2-yard line.
“He’s playing both ways, so we’re managing that so he doesn’t get too tired and can still be effective on offense,” said Culig of his 6-0, 205-pound running back, who also stars at linebacker and is verbally committed to Idaho. “He definitely makes us different when he’s on offense.”
Coeur d’Alene won the coin toss and deferred, unknowingly handing the momentum to Rocky Mountain on its opening drive. The Grizzlies needed just four plays to cover 80 yards, capping the drive with a 22-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Tegan Sweaney to senior receiver Luke Luchini.
Luchini led all receivers with eight catches for 60 yards, and Sweaney completed passes to six different receivers and finished 7-for-17 for 140 yards but was hampered by three interceptions, one of which was tipped. The Grizzlies were also whistled for 90 yards in penalties.
Miscues aside, Culig felt his team took a step forward from its win over Middleton last week. Weatherly, who starts on the defensive line, racked up two sacks to a help lead a Rocky Mountain defense that limited Coeur d’Alene to just 66 total yards.
“Last week, I didn’t think we closed out the second half very well. We kind of relaxed a little bit,” Culig said. “I don’t think we did that tonight. My focus all week was we’ve got to play better as a team and have a little more positive energy. I thought our energy was really good. Everybody was patting each other on the back and the mood was good.”
Top-ranked Rocky Mountain now turns its attention to crosstown rival Mountain View. The two teams meet at 7 p.m. next Friday at Mountain View High.
This story was originally published August 26, 2022 at 11:49 PM.
