Greg Lee

Poor air quality as a result of wildfires in the region have had North Idaho high schools scrambling to figure out options for scheduled season-opening games this weekend. It’s been a fluid situation all week with seemingly changes daily.

With smoky air socking in the Inland Northwest, fall sports teams throughout the area canceled outdoor practices Monday and have braced for more cancelations. Greater Spokane League administrators last week adopted a policy to deal with unhealthy air conditions.

The Spokane Stars girls club basketball program did something that’s never been done in the 13-year history of the MSNM Western U.S./International tournament in San Diego last week. The Stars Blue and Royal teams won championships in the elite and all-star divisions, respectively, both going undefeated.

Coeur d’Alene pitcher Sam Slusser had 14 strikeouts. It was one bad inning – like it’s been most times this season for Slusser – that derailed the Lumbermen.

The Coeur d’Alene American Legion baseball team won’t take a grab bag approach to its lineup when the Idaho state tournament begins tonight. Because the Lumbermen had a state berth secured as the host – and because coach Zach Clanton wanted his team to regain some of its swagger – CdA decided to have some fun at the district tournament it hosted last week. Nine numbers were placed in a hat and each player pulled a number out to determine his spot in the batting order.

Reassigned two months ago, Todd Gilkey will continue as an athletic director, but not at Coeur d’Alene High School. Gilkey, 51, is returning to St. Maries, where he was an athletic director eight years before moving to CdA.

Two highly successful North Idaho high school baseball coaches have been fired. Nick Rook of Coeur d’Alene and Tom Grunenfelder of Lewiston were dismissed in recent weeks.

The 51st annual East/West all-star football game was predictably dominated by the defenses. The last big play by the West came when Mitchell Jones of Woodinville got an interception at midfield with under six minutes to play, setting up the winning series as the West prevailed 21-13 at Central Valley High School on Friday.

The Gonzaga women’s basketball team is going from guard starved to guards aplenty. Jessie Loera, who will be a senior next year at Moses Lake High and is regarded as one of the best guards in the nation in her class, has given the Bulldogs an oral commitment. “I really like the environment, the coaches and the players,” Loera said. “It’s like a family environment. I like the academics, too. They have a great human physiology program. It’s good for my education in physical therapy.”

Caution, Indians fans, it’s early. Even though the season is just three games old, though, there are some things to be concerned about.

Spokane Valley police are recommending a fourth-degree misdemeanor assault charge against a Coeur d’Alene football player who allegedly ripped a helmet off a Sandpoint player and hit him with it during a camp scrimmage Thursday. Sandpoint and Coeur d’Alene were scrimmaging during a Border League camp held at University High School. Police were called to the school after the Sandpoint player was injured. Both players are minors.