Playing with all the poise and confidence of an eight-time state championship football program, Carey High School players captured a clean and closely-contested 40-36 state tournament playoff game victory over the host Coeur du Christ Saints on Saturday in northern Idaho.

Action took place in a State 1A quarterfinal playoff between the No. 5-seeded Carey Panthers and No. 4 Saints that was contested on the two-year-old Marimn Health Coeur Center turf football field in Worley near Coeur d’Alene.

Defending State 1A champion Carey (9-1) scored three touchdowns in the first nine minutes, led by the running of senior Stockton Sears and the passing of sophomore quarterback Jonah Saili. The visiting Panthers built leads of 28-14 and 34-22 before the Saints (7-2) rallied.

Carey led 34-30 at half

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