Area teams make nice home in 4A

Years ago when the 4A classification was formed, I knew there was an area school that would find its new home cozy.

Sure enough, Sandpoint hasn’t disappointed. And this fall was no different. The Sandpoint boys and girls soccer teams captured state championships – again – and the football (second) and volleyball (third) teams brought home trophies as well.

Pardon me as I take a few moments to look back at the feats of our fall athletes and teams.

Football

Eagle knocked off previously unbeaten Capital, which had been ranked No. 1 all season, 22-21 in the state title game last Friday.

I don’t know what that tells you, but what it tells me is that 5A football in this region was better than I thought. I knew the area teams were competitive among themselves, and I suspected there was a gulf of difference between them and the top teams in the state.

As it turns out, there wasn’t much of a difference at all. Coeur d’Alene came within a few whiskers of beating Eagle two weeks ago (25-21).

And you know how close the other Inland Empire League teams were to CdA. The Vikings peaked at the right time. All along I thought they were the best team in North Idaho, but it took them a while to prove it.

I expect the battle for the 5A IEL championship to be just as wild if not more so next year. The majority of the talent on the teams this year came from junior classes.

CdA will be favored in the IEL next year. This year’s juniors will be joined by a talented sophomore class. Running back Zach Keiser returns and the only key position coach Shawn Amos must fill is at quarterback.

Lake City, which captured the league title this fall with all three of its wins coming in league, and Post Falls will be right on the Vikings’ heels. And Lewiston will be in the vicinity as well.

•In 4A, Sandpoint was as good as state champ Blackfoot in my estimation. The Bulldogs didn’t play as well in the title game as they had the previous weeks in the playoffs – or most of the regular season for that matter.

The Bulldogs were arguably the second-best team in the area. Their two regular-season losses were close calls to CdA and Post Falls.

Sandpoint will lose much to graduation. Coach Mike Mitchell faces a rebuilding project.

•I thought this was going to be the year that Timberlake finally broke through the roadblock it has faced in trying to get to a 3A state title game.

The cupboard is far from bare at Timberlake. The Tigers will make another run next year. But if Timberlake doesn’t break through soon, it may never do so.

Volleyball

The ultra-talented senior class at Sandpoint suffered a hiccup at state, falling short in its quest to defend a state title and earn a third title in four years.

Things happen. Coach Karen Alsager will say good-bye to a group that ranks among the best in school history.

Now Alsager begins a rebuilding project. Sandpoint won’t fall off the map, believe me. But 4A volleyball in the region will become much more competitive.

•Post Falls had a storybook season, capturing its first 5A IEL title and advancing to state for the first time since 1991. Third-year coach and Post Falls grad Willow Hanna doesn’t plan on those accomplishments being the last in her coaching career.

•Missy Asbury played on three state championship teams at St. Maries and now she has coached a Lumberjacks team to a state title. She guided a young team back to the top of the 3A heap for the first time since 1993.

St. Maries just might stay near the top for a while, too.

Soccer

He hasn’t told me so, but I have a hunch that Randy Thoreson has coached his last games as Sandpoint’s boys coach. Thoreson, who owns a construction business, came awfully close to stepping down last year, but an opportunity to go out with a talented senior class drew him back.

Thoreson has guided Sandpoint to seven 4A state titles this decade.

Sandpoint’s girls, after two years in the 5A ranks, dropped back down to 4A this year and earned another state title.

•The Post Falls boys captured a 5A IEL title, qualifying for state with a defensive-minded team. The efforts of coach Gabe Lawson must be applauded. The Trojans will be around for a while.

Cross country

Coeur d’Alene’s Kinsey Gomez wasn’t going to be denied. After winning a state title as a freshman and finishing runner-up last year, Gomez was determined to prove her freshman season wasn’t a fluke.

She did so in dominating fashion, unseating the defending champ. Gomez beat Liz Brandon of Eagle by 33 seconds.

Seeing the satisfaction in Gomez’s eyes after winning this year, I can tell she won’t be satisfied with anything less than a third state title next year.

Lake City’s C.J. Helbling is the best male runner I’ve seen in 25 years not to win a state title. He did everything but win a state title.

He was 10th as a freshman, third as a sophomore and finished runner-up for a second straight year this season. He will go on to a highly successful collegiate career.

•Timberlake coach Shawn Lawler must be commended with what he’s done with the girls program. He started the program in 2003 and all of his work proved fruitful with a 3A state title this fall.