State Trips On The Line This Week

That collective cheer you may have heard Tuesday evening across North Idaho came from spring sport athletes and coaches.

Spokane TV weather experts looked in their crystal balls and predicted sunny, warm weather through the weekend.

It’s just in time for state-qualifying events. Here’s the list:

Track Inland Empire League teams will try a different format over two days for their A-1 Region I meet at Lewiston’s Vollmer Bowl.

Beginning at 3 p.m. on Friday, all the field events will take place, plus the 3,200-meter race and the medley relay.

Athletes will return Saturday at 1 p.m. for the remainder of the running finals. The top two finishers in each individual event advance to state, which will be held May 16-17 at Boise State University. The top relay and possible wild-card teams also go to state.

Lewiston’s boys are favored to lap the field. The girls team race should be much tighter among all five league teams.

The A-2 District I-II meet will be held at its traditional location, Lakeland High School, on Saturday.

The meet begins with field events at 10 a.m. The top three athletes in each event and top relay teams advance to state.

Moscow’s boys are favored, while the Lakeland, Priest River and Moscow girls will challenge each other.

The A-3/A-4 District I-II meets are Friday and Saturday at Kamiah HS.

The meet begins Friday at 5 p.m. and resumes at 10 a.m. on Saturday. The top three individual finishers in each event and top relay teams advance to state.

Golf

The A-1 Region I tournament will be held today at Hidden Lakes Country Club, located northeast of Sandpoint.

And the A-2 District I-II tournament will be held today at the University of Idaho course in Moscow.

More than half of both fields and the top one-third individuals advance to state.

Baseball

The A-1 Region I tournament opens today at two sites.

Top-seeded and IEL champ Coeur d’Alene entertains No. 4 Post Falls and No. 3 Lake City travels to No. 2 Lewiston. Both games begin at 4 p.m.

Play concludes Saturday at Lake City High School. Two teams advance to state.

The A-2 District I-II tournament also begins today at two sites.

IML champ and No. 1 seed Lakeland welcomes No. 4 Orofino and No. 2 Moscow is visited by No. 3 St. Maries. Both games begin at 4.

Play concludes Saturday at Moscow. Two teams advance to state.

Softball

The A-1 Region I tournament begins today at two sites.

No. 4 seed Lewiston travels to league champ and top-seeded Coeur d’Alene, while No. 3 Lake City goes to No. 2 Sandpoint. Both games begin at 4 p.m.

The tourney concludes Saturday at Quad Park in Post Falls. Two teams advance to state, which will be held May 16-17 at Coeur d’Alene.

The A-2 District I-II tournament will be held Saturday at Lakeland HS.

Defending state champ and top-seeded Lakeland opens against No. 4 Priest River at 10 a.m., followed by No. 2 Moscow meeting No. 3 St. Maries at 11:45. Two teams advance to state, which will be held May 16-17 at Coeur d’Alene.

Soccer

The North Idaho Cup continues today with two loser-out matches. League champ Lake City plays host to Moscow, and league runner-up Sandpoint entertains Coeur d’Alene.

Both matches begin at 5 p.m. The winners meet Saturday in the title match at 1 p.m. at Post Falls Junior High.

The job front

Mullan officials began interviewing candidates Tuesday for the head football and boys basketball positions vacated by longtime coach John Drager, who announced his retirement at the start of the year. He will serve one more year as athletic director before retiring from education.

Post Falls received 17 applications for its head football coaching position.

Athletic director Sherie Patano plans to pare the candidates to four finalists and begin interviews as soon as Friday.

Just one district coach applied. Assistant varsity coach Jeff Hinz, a Coeur d’Alene High grad, is expected to be among the four finalists.

Former St. Maries standout Jeff Choate, a former head coach at Challis and assistant at Twin Falls last year, has applied and will likely be interviewed.

Other openings in North Idaho include boys basketball head coaching jobs at Sandpoint and Priest River.

, DataTimes