Lakeland High Avoids Move Up To A-1

Though Lakeland High School has A-1 classification numbers, the Rathdrum school will remain in the A-2 division for at least the next three years.

A year ago, it appeared Lakeland was A-1 bound. The school had been posturing for a possible move up next year as school officials attended Inland Empire League meetings. They had even gone as far as scheduling four of the five league members in most major sports.

But when the attendance figures for the past two years were tallied this summer, Lakeland caught a break.

So instead of moving up a division next year and being one of the smallest A-1 schools, Lakeland will stay where it is. According to early fall attendance numbers, that’s at the top of the A-2 heap.

Lakeland’s first-day attendance was 672. Vallivue of Caldwell, which also is expected to move to A-1 by ‘98, checked in at 654; Moscow opened with 615; Snake River of Blackfoot and Jerome both were in the 590 range.

The A-2 cap is 599.

Lakeland had to average at least 600 the past eight quarters to move to A-1; its average over that span was 569, 601 the past four quarters.

Even with moderate growth over the next three years, Lakeland will be able to ease into the A-1 division.

Rathdrum school district officials aren’t excited about a possible move to the state’s highest division. That possibility has prompted officials to seriously start thinking about building a smaller high school in the hinterlands in hopes of keeping Lakeland in the A-2 ranks.

It’ll be interesting to watch what happens in one of the fastest-growing areas of Kootenai County.

Stairmaster and a video

We now know the secret to Lewiston football coach Nick Menegas’ success.

On a recent Saturday morning, Menegas obliged a sportswriter who called seeking the skinny on the Bengals for one of those traditionally boring preseason stories.

During a 20-minute interview, Menegas worked out on a stairclimber, watched a video of a scrimmage and managed to give out height, weight and biographical information on his players.

This explains why Menegas, now in that 40 something group, manages to stay as fit as a 21-year-old.

“Can’t you take just a short break from watching scrimmage video to do your workout?” the reporter asked.

“No. If I do, that’s when I get second place,” he said.

Menegas doesn’t like finishing second to anybody.

Early observations

Are the Post Falls and Lewiston football teams as good as the final scores of their season-opening games indicate?

Yep. Post Falls had no problems in a 27-7 win over Lakeland, and the Trojans weren’t even close to clicking on all cylinders, as they say.

And Lewiston romped all over Moscow 54-20.

By the same token, we don’t believe Moscow and Lakeland are as weak as the final scores indicate.

Moscow and Lakeland will be much different teams by the time they meet in the final week of the regular season.

St. Maries is every bit as good as promised. And Bonners Ferry could be better than expected.

What about Coeur d’Alene and Lake City? Victories will come.

Then there’s Sandpoint. The Bulldogs won’t finish anywhere close to the 2-7 record they posted last year.

There’s excitement brewing in Priest River. The Spartans (2-0) will be out to match their best start since 1988 (3-0) when they make the short trip to Newport, Wash., Friday.

Still in transition

If any coach could say that - still in transition - it’s Coeur d’Alene High football coach Bill Anderson.

Anderson and his wife are living out of a fifth-wheel trailer as they await the sale of their home in Grandview, Wash.

“We’ve made an offer on a home here, but we have to wait for our home to close,” Anderson said.

It could be as many as two weeks before the Andersons move out of their trailer.

“It can be a little claustrophobic, but it’s livable,” Anderson said.

Living in a trailer sure makes Anderson appreciate the modern conveniences of a home - like the use of a home or a VCR.

“If I want to watch film, I have to go to the school,” he said.

Walking the halls

As expected, basketball standout Jon Chatfield, one of the leading scorers in the North Star League last year at 22 points per game, has transferred to Lake City.

A two-year starter at Kootenai, the 6-foot-3 Chatfield played on the Timberwolves’ summer team.

Another streak broken

The St. Maries High volleyball team’s 145-match winning streak was snapped last year along with its streak of 10 consecutive state titles.

Then, last Saturday, a home-match winning streak dating back to 1983 came to an end when Sandpoint tripped the Lumberjacks.

More streak-breaking occurred this week.

The Lumberjacks junior varsity had won 171 straight matches against Intermountain League teams dating back to 1979.

The streak ended Tuesday when Moscow’s JV stopped St. Maries 15-11, 15-10.

, DataTimes