Greg Lee

Idaho prep baseball Pitchers Jeff Anstine of Coeur d'Alene and Ryan Kempton of Post Falls have had some classic duels the past two seasons. In two previous showdowns this season, Kempton has prevailed.

Darick Pope and his Post Falls teammates should speed away from the A-1 regional boys competition at Lake City Friday and Saturday. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review

Prep track The most important result in the raindrenched Lakeland Relays track meet Friday evening is there were no serious injuries. That was the common concern among coaches with state-qualifying meets next weekend.

Bill Anderson thinks he may have found the perfect place to retire when he's through coaching high school football and teaching. That in part explains why Anderson, 51, who was officially named Coeur d'Alene High's head football coach Thursday, will embark this fall on his third head coaching job in five years.

Mike McLean (right) of Post Falls takes the fast lane while anchoring the Trojans' winning 400-meter relay team. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

Mike McLean (right) of Post Falls takes the fast lane while anchoring the Trojans' winning 400-meter relay team. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

Welcome, students, to class: How Not To Hire a Head Football Coach 101. Our case study today will be the Coeur d'Alene High School head football job. The selection of a new coach is a done deal. Change the name plate on the coach's office at CdA to read: Bill Anderson. More on that later. Last Friday, you may recall, school officials interviewed five candidates.

Keith Shepherd of Post Falls hands baton to Jessica Waltz in distance relay. Trojans won race in 4:20.8. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

Matt Smith of Lake City sprints for the tape to win the 110 hurdles in a time of 16.3 seconds. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

1. The All-North Idaho wrestling team. Back row, from left: Josh Curran (Coeur d'Alene). Justin Pluid (Bonners Ferry) and Nathan Pascoe (Lakeland). Front row, from left: coach of the year Shawn Amos (Kellogg), Pat Clevenger (Lewiston) and Ben Frank (Post Falls). Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review 2. Back row, Sandpoint wrestlers Pat Larson and Shawn Garner. Front row: Sandpoint's Brett Lawrence and Jared Lawrence. Not pictured: Billy Greene (Lewiston), Tony Matson (Moscow), Kole Clauson (Lakeland), Matt Butkovich (Coeur d'Alene). Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

Technically, the Lakeland-Coeur d'Alene nonleague high school baseball game Thursday will likely stand as a tie. Technically, though, Lakeland outplayed Coeur d'Alene - at least in the later innings as the Hawks took an 11-8 lead moments before umpires suspended the game because of darkness at North Idaho College.

What's up with the search for a head football coach at Coeur d'Alene High School? Good question. Thought you'd never ask. It's been more than four months since Greg Drake resigned. The answer: very little.

Lakeland High School senior golfer Corey Rippee has a modest goal this season. Oh, he'll contend for league and district medalist honors. In fact, he may even challenge for a State B title. But that would just be bonuses. Said the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Rippee: "I just want to play as well as I can." A starting offensive tackle for the Hawks football team last fall, Rippee is known for his length off the tee. A four-year letterman, Rippee would give up some length for a little more accuracy.

Dave Fealko may have resigned as the head girls basketball coach at Lake City High School, but his influence will remain. Dave Stockwell, Fealko's top assistant the past seven years, was named head coach Tuesday, his hiring approved by the school board last night.

The S-R's All-North Idaho basketball teams. Back row, from left: Gavin Glindeman (Bonner Ferry), Alli Nieman (Sandpoint), Casey Fisher (Kellogg), Lake City girls coach Dave Fealke, Post Falls boys coach Scott Moore, Brien Russell (Lake City), Melissa Didge (Lake City), Travis Fulton (Kellogg). Front row, from left Jana Nearing (Bonners Ferry), Jennifer Kerns (Lake City), Tim Roberts (Post Falls), Kyle York (Priest River). Not pictured: Andrea Gomez (Lewiston). Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

Two North Idaho high school baseball teams could have the ingredients for state championships. For Lakeland, a state crown wouldn't be new. The Hawks captured gold two years ago and, with a nucleus from that team, slipped to fourth last year.

Dana Streeter of Wallace (right) rates a cut above the rest among A-3 hurdlers. File/The Spokesman-Review

University High School baseball coach Don Ressa figures his team will be tabbed as a contender for the Greater Spokane League championship. Though he sees perennial power Mead still the team to beat, Ressa has one specific reason why he expects the Titans to improve on their sixth-place league finish last year: experience.

The recently completed boys basketball season in the Panhandle was easily one of the most enjoyable to chronicle in the past decade. No area team won a state title, but there were a handful of teams that contended for championships.

1. Lakeland's Kole Clauson, right, gets the upper hand on Sugar-Salem's Matt Winder on the way to a pin at 160. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review 2. Jake Stark of Priest River, right, works his way toward a second-round win over Buhl's Tommy Howell in an A-2, 112-pound match. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review

Final thoughts about the state high school boys' basketball tournaments: Odd things happen at state - particularly in the first round. It's not a reach to say A-1 state qualifiers Lake City and Post Falls and A-2 entrants Kellogg and Bonners Ferry could have and, in some cases, should have won during the opening round last Thursday of the state tournaments.

Idaho A-2 Travis Fulton turned out to be a prophet. Well, sort of. The Kellogg senior point guard predicted three weeks ago in a feature story in The Spokesman-Review that the Wildcats would meet Bonners Ferry in the final game.

Ryan Edmonds of Post Falls runs into trouble - and Capital's Brent Blacklock - while losing possession. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review

Bonner Ferry's Jesse Holeski, right, gets into the loose-ball chase with Jerome's Nathan Cook, top left, and Chris Wong. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review