The streak of 20 straight victories by the Ferris football team got me to thinking.

I know Gonzaga Prep had a decade of dominance back in the 1980s when I was traveling the back roads of North Idaho on a regular basis - and enjoying it, by the way.

Could something like what Prep accomplished be duplicated today? I mean, you have to tip your hat to what Ferris has done the last four years. And over in Idaho, Lake City has made the state playoffs for 14 straight years under coach Van Troxel, a streak that is likely to end this year. Coeur d'Alene, the defending state champ, is clearly the heavy favorite to make it two straight. And to be honest, looking at coach Shawn Amos' under-varsity programs, I wouldn't be surprised to see CdA challenge for two more state titles after this season.

So my question (and you know a column will likely follow) is will we see any more long spans of success or are most of the programs in the region to a point where they'll all be competitive so it's unlikely we'll see one program dominate again.

And to the old timers, tell me what you recall from the 1980s.

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