Greg Lee

Varsity girls from A schools climb "Goat Hill," a steep, 150-meter incline on the course at the Farragut Invitational. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

Too many penalties, mental errors and discipline problems. Name the problem and Friday's Inland Empire League football opener between Post Falls and Lewiston had it. After a week of written exams and chalkboard sessions, Lewiston did enough to hold off upset-minded Post Falls 34-20 at Bengal Field. For most of the game Lewiston clung to a one-touchdown lead. The defending State A-1 Division II champ was far from dominating.

Sometimes an athlete's least favorite sport ends up being his best. Or the one that opens the door to the best opportunities. A prime example is Sandpoint High senior wide receiver Caleb Bowman, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound speedster. Bowman is thankful he listened to his heart three years ago and not his head.

The biggest high school cross country meet in North Idaho has apparently grown since last year. The Farragut Invitational, which features two prep meets the size of some state-qualifying races and a pair of races for non-high school runners, will be held Saturday at Farragut State Park. The park is about 25 miles north of Coeur d'Alene, just east of U.S. Highway 95, near Athol. The meet's hosts are Lake City and Coeur d'Alene high schools. Some of the top teams from Eastern Washington, the Boise area and North Idaho will collide at Farragut.

1. Lake City High School's Lindsay Herbert has busy travel weekends ahead. File/The Spokesman-Review 2. Asher

The first two weeks of the high school football season saw the Inland Empire League's top teams dominate opponents. Then along came Week No. 3. The results provided hope for at least one team hoping to jump from the cellar into the hunt for a state playoff berth. Defending State A-1 Division II champion Lewiston stumbled to a 14-14 tie with Cheney; Sandpoint, the team expected to have the best chance of challenging Lewiston, fell 41-28 at Borah; and traditional playoff qualifier Post Falls watched a 20-7 lead dissolve in a 27-20 loss to East Valley.

Sandpoint's Janae Cates looks for a way to beat the block of Lake City's Brianne Taylor (8) and Kellie Stern. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

The Lake City High football team knows it's good. Now the next three to four weeks will tell the Timberwolves just how good. And LC coach Van Troxel has a good inkling that his team will like what transpires in what he calls the meat of the season, especially after the T-Wolves manhandled the Moscow Bears 36-6 Saturday afternoon in the second half of the 37th annual Shriners Classic at the Kibbie Dome.

Chad Quesnell tries to outleg EV's James Moss while setting up the Trojans' second touchdown. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

Post Falls' Cahd Quesnell tries to outleg East Valley's James Moss while setting up the Trojans for their second touchdown of the night. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

If it appears North Idaho high school football teams have done nothing but swap opponents the first two weeks, you're right. The trend continues this weekend. We say weekend because not all games will be played Friday. The annual Shriners Doubleheader in Moscow - which benefits the children's hospital in Spokane - has been moved to Saturday afternoon in the Kibbie Dome.

Hoffman

Juniors Eva Unruh, right, and Kelsi Luhnow are back for CdA after finishing second and third, respectively, at the regionals last year. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

Eric Langley wanted to be a head high school wrestling coach in Idaho. Not just at any school, though. Langley served as an assistant coach at Idaho Falls High the past two years. Idaho Falls ended Sandpoint's string of three straight State A-1 championships last winter.

Not everything worked to perfection for the Sandpoint High School football team Friday. What did work, though, was more than enough - and too much for the Lakeland Hawks to handle.

Coeur d'Alene's Patrick Goodwin tries to escape Lake City's Andy Moore on Friday. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

Coeur d'Alene's Janee Andre, left, and Lake City's Michelle Weger do battle in Tuesday's night's match won by the Vikings 2-0. Photo by Liz Kishimoto/The Spokesman-Review

Lake City's Scott Bushnell avoids Coeur d'Alene's Jeff Rupp en route to his second touchdown during the Timberwolves' 40-13 victory Friday at Viking Field. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

Quarterback Kurt Reese should help the Lakeland Hawks contend for the IML title. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

1. Shawn Amos will have to do a lot of coaching in his first year at Coeur d'Alene. The Vikings are rebuilding and not expected to scare the IEL's elite teams. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review 2. Post Falls coach Jeff Choate hopes to pick up where longtime coach Jerry Lee left off. Photo by Liz Kishimoto/The Spokesman-Review

Jennifer Derr, last year at Clark Fork, is starting setter at LC. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

Reigning North Star rushing champ Buck Allen, right, considered the top athlete in the league, returns for a fourth season. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

Lake City's Laura Dodge (10) finishes off a spike over Lindsey Harpole and Ariene Wilcott of St. Maries. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

Tony Richardson is spending less time selling hamburgers this summer so he can make a comeback in triathlons. For about 10 years, Richardson consistently finished in the money on the professional circuit.