St. Maries Coaches Fired By School Board

Idaho preps

St. Maries High School is looking for boys and girls head basketball coaches after the school board decided this week not to renew the contracts of the previous coaches.

Boys coach Gary Krumheuer and girls coach Jim Asher were dismissed, and neither was told why.

“It caught us by surprise in a number of ways,” St. Maries principal Jerry Bayley said. He said there were no petition drives or parent groups he knew of trying to get the coaches fired.

Asher, who was the boys basketball coach for eight years, had spent the past three years as the girls head coach. Last year’s team went 9-14.

Krumheuer, head boys coach previously at Priest River, took over a program three years ago absent of varsity experience. Last year’s team finished 3-17 after going 1-22 the year before.

Of the coaches, Krumheuer was less shocked by the board’s action.

“I kind of suspected that it might happen,” Krumheuer said. “I won eight games in three years and that’s not a great record, so you kind of have to expect it.”

Asher, who recommended Krumheuer to replace him when he switched to the girls post, said: “You’ve got some parents that are totally out of control and a school board that’s going in a different direction. And obviously Gary and I were not a part of that.”

Bayley said the school board gave no reason for its decision. All other head coaches were retained.

Bayley said it will be difficult to find replacements because he has no teaching openings at the high school. He said Krumheuer and Asher indicated they’d be looking for teaching/ coaching jobs elsewhere.

State golf berths claimed

The Lewiston boys and Coeur d’Alene girls golf teams captured titles Thursday in the A-1 Region I Tournament at Bryden Canyon Golf Course in Lewiston.

The Lewiston boys shot 295 on the par-71 course to finish ahead of runner-up Coeur d’Alene, which fired 310 and also advances to state.

The State A tourney is next Friday and Saturday at Bryden Canyon.

CdA’s girls shot 277 to beat Lewiston (282). Lake City’s girls (319) also qualified for state by beating the qualifying standard of 340.

Sandpoint’s boys (328) missed qualifying for state by three strokes.

Medalists were Lewiston’s Justin King (72) and Jacqueline Huff (86).