Road trip to Nampa

Coeur d’Alene High School’s Adam Chadwick had visions of a packed Idaho Center watching his beloved Vikings in the Idaho 5A State basketball championship tournament.

“We were expecting a lot of people to come, and no one came,” said the road warrior; he and five of his friends were the only Coeur d’Alene fans in the Idaho Center student section. Although not an exact count, Chadwick was closer to right than wrong with his estimate. A smattering of parents, some faculty, a few other students and about as many boosters had plenty of room to stretch out while watching the games.

Chadwick and his friends had planned a road trip to Nampa well in advance of the tournament. Students who coordinated their request with the school’s administration received permission and excused absence to travel to the tournament. Chadwick and his group made the drive together.

“I was a little worried about them,” said Coeur d’Alene Principal Randy Russell, concerned about a stretch of road he called “Deadman’s Pass.” But the CHS seniors made it just fine and had plenty of room in the front row of the student section to cheer on the team.

CHS senior Brooke Hayden had to arrange other travel plans. “I came down with a family I had never met,” she said. The team arranged for her to ride with a booster to the tournament. But on arrival, Hayden still needed lodging. Enter Chadwick and company. “I had to sleep under a table,” said the appreciative Hayden, getting to crash on the floor in the road warriors’ room for free. And since her boyfriend is on the team, her ride back was the team bus. “I have to sit with the coaches, team policy,” she said. In fact, she had not even talked to Viking guard Austin Heleker the entire weekend. As she explained, “His phone’s dead.”

“Seven guys in one room? That sounds like the state tournament,” Russell said, speaking of the group. “They’re good kids,” added Russell, explaining that for the students to receive excused absences, they have to check in with him or another administrator every day.

With the Vikings playing Southern Idaho schools, the atmosphere was almost like home games for the other teams. At the Idaho Center, a crowd several times the capacity of a high school gym would barely make a dent in the available seating but still makes a difference. The consolation final game was originally scheduled at Vallivue High School in Caldwell. The Vikings were matched up with Vallivue for the game so it was moved to Caldwell High School, little more than a stone’s throw away from the original venue. Vallivue fans filled the Caldwell gym, sometimes drowning out all the noise Viking fans could muster.

Hayden took a front row seat alongside 3-year-old Caden McLean, Viking assistant coach Mike McLean’s son, to videotape the game. “My player’s in,” the younger McLean was heard to say as his favorite player Calvin Peterson entered the game. McLean bonded with Peterson early in the year after Peterson injured his arm. And when Peterson’s sweatband came flying off his head during the game, McLean retrieved it and held it for him. During a time out, Peterson came to get it, McLean tossed it to him as if he was a member of the team.

As the time ran out for the Vikings, their fans stood and cheered. “I’m pretty bummed we lost, but I wouldn’t have missed it,” Hayden said, reflecting on the game. And as the officials cleared the floor to award Vallivue the consolation trophy, the enthusiastic McLean stole the show. He took his pint-size basketball, went out on the court and shot a few baskets, imitating as only a 3-year-old can his favorite Coeur d’Alene player.