Playoff Spots Remain Unsolved Mysteries

After wading through several scenarios regarding state football playoff berths in recent weeks, North Idaho teams enter the final week of regular-season play.

And guess what? Much is still undecided.

The battle for state berths and seedings in the Inland Empire League still involves four of the five teams although defending state and league champ Lewiston and Lake City each have a spot locked up.

Four teams are still clinging to playoff hopes in the Intermountain League although Lakeland has wrapped up at least one of the two berths.

In the North Star League, leave the crown on the head of defending and convincing champ Lakeside. Clark Fork secured the second place berth last week, and the two playoff-bound teams meet in Clark Fork for a final tuneup Friday.

The playoffs begin a week early for a pair of A-3 teams when Wallace (4-4) takes on heavily favored Grangeville (8-1) on Saturday at noon in the Kibbie Dome.

What’s at stake: LC (7-1, 2-1) entertains Coeur d’Alene (1-7, 0-3) tonight at 7. The game was moved from Friday to avoid conflict with the State A-1 and A-2 volleyball tournaments.

Sandpoint (5-3 overall, 2-1 in league) travels to Post Falls (3-4-1, 1-2) while Lewiston finishes with a non-league game at home against Hellgate (4-4) of Missoula on Friday.

If Lewiston, LC and Sandpoint finish tied for the league title at 3-1 - which is the most realistic outcome - then seeding has been decided after school officials this week dusted off the “Ozzie Formula” for breaking ties which they adopted three years ago.

Sandpoint would be seeded first because it received 10 points for its victory margin over Lake City (33-21). Lewiston would be seeded second because it beat Sandpoint by seven points. LC gets would be seeded third because its victory over Lewiston was by a single point.

That would mean LC making a return trip to Sandpoint the following week in the first round of the State A-1 Division I playoffs. Lewiston would play host to a playoff game against the No. 2 seed from the Boise area (still to be decided).

Post Falls’ playoff hopes are still alive. If the Trojans upset Sandpoint they’d go as the league’s No. 3 seed and Sandpoint would be eliminated. That would put LC and Lewiston in a tie for the league title (if LC beats CdA) and the T-Wolves would be the No. 1 seed based on its earlier win over Lewiston.

The Trojans are approaching their game as if it were a playoff contest. They know they’re big underdogs.

Sandpoint will be out to snap a 10-game losing streak, dating to 1987. The Bulldogs felt they should have snapped the skein last year. But Post Falls pulled off an upset at Sandpoint.

“On paper they have no business being on the same field with us,” Post Falls first-year coach Jeff Choate said. “They should have their hole card punched and getting ready for the playoffs. But I guess that’s why we play the game.”

Choate reviewed the video of last year’s game and couldn’t believe the Trojans won.

“I watched that game over and over and with the exception of the turnovers I don’t know how (the Trojans) made a game of it,” Choate said. “I don’t know if we’ve got that same kind of magic.”

But Choate likes going into the game with no pressure.

Sandpoint coach Satini Puailoa said his team doesn’t need extra motivation.

“We know how important it is,” Puailoa said. “We’ll just come out and do what we do best. Turnovers will be a factor. They always are in a game like this.”

In the IML, Moscow (4-4, 3-1) visits Lakeland (5-2-1, 4-0) to decide the league title. Lakeland has won four straight against Moscow.

If Moscow loses and St. Maries (6-2, 2-2) defeats visiting Bonners Ferry (2-6, 1-3), then Moscow, St. Maries and idle Priest River (7-2, 3-2) would finish in a three-way tie for the runner-up playoff berth.

That would force a Kansas Tiebreaker, to be played either Monday or Tuesday in Coeur d’Alene.

If Moscow beats Lakeland the teams would go to the playoffs as the first and second seeds from the IML, respectively.

, DataTimes