Wallace, Lakeside Depart Cil
With Grangeville and Orofino returning to the A-3 classification next year, the Central Idaho League is dropping its two-division format.
As a result, Wallace and Lakeside will return to independent status. Those schools opted to leave the league when it became apparent the CIL wanted to return to its old eight-team conference, Wallace athletic director Dick Lilienkamp said.
CIL officials were split 4-4 on whether to keep Wallace and Lakeside in the league, Lilienkamp said, adding it was at that point that Wallace and Lakeside decided to leave the conference.
The District I teams were part of a two-division concept the past two years in the CIL in football, volleyball and boys and girls basketball. Wallace and Lakeside were among four teams in the North Division while four teams were in the South Division.
Lilienkamp floated a proposal calling for two five-team divisions. But it was shot down, he said.
Wallace and Lakeside will return to their head-to-head series in football, volleyball and boys and girls basketball to determine which team will play the CIL’s runner-up to decide state berths.
CIL officials contacted Lilienkamp last week to talk about a proposal to include the Wallace-Lakeside winner in the volleyball and basketball district tourneys. One idea calls for the Wallace-Lakeside winner to be the eighth team in the district and the CIL’s eighth-place team not being included at district.
Lilienkamp was hopeful that joining the CIL two years ago might help Wallace’s gate revenue, which had dropped significantly after it left the A-2 Intermountain League in the early 1990s.
“We thought our gate would improve being in the (CIL), but it didn’t,” Lilienkamp said. “We may have lost gate. Our people know where Priest River and Bonners Ferry are, but they couldn’t relate to Prairie and Timberline.”
Coaching moves
Jamie Poncho’s attempt to be a head coach in two sports at Priest River is over. He has resigned as head volleyball coach after one season.
Poncho will continue as head girls basketball coach. He resigned the volleyball job to spend more time with his family.
Lakeland is looking for a head boys soccer coach after Chris McDougall resigned.
On the dotted line
Several North Idaho football players plan to continue their careers in college next fall.
Five players off Lake City’s State A-1 Division II runner-up team have made commitments. They are: Pete Hamill (safety/wide receiver), who is walking on at the University of Montana; Chad Lyon (defensive tackle), who has signed at Carroll College in Helena, Mont.; Josh Vogan (linebacker), who committed to Whitworth; Bret Wright (DE/LB), who will walk on at Idaho; and Nagib Magee (cornerback), who will walk on at Sacramento State.
At Carroll, Lyon will join former Lake City standout running back Scott Bushnell, who was a part-time player at fullback as a sophomore last fall.
Three players from Sandpoint are headed to Santa Barbara (Calif.) City College. They are: Jeramy Harvey (placekicker/punter), Steve Mills (WR/kickoff returner) and Greg Nielson (DE).
Bulldogs Jeff West (offensive line), Jamie Darling (OL/LB) and Gabe Young (DT) also are considering Santa Barbara. John Wold (safety) is going to walk on at Eastern Washington.
Lakeland’s standout two-way lineman Jacques DesMarais will walk on at Idaho, where he’s projected as a defensive lineman.
Coeur d’Alene four-year soccer standout Janee Andre, who obliterated the Viks’ all-time scoring record, has accepted a partial scholarship to play at Westmont College in Santa Barbara.
On to state
The A-2 District I baseball tournament begins today.
In a pair of loser-out games, No. 6 seed Timberlake is at No. 3 Priest River and No. 5 Kellogg is at No. 4 Bonners Ferry. Both games begin at 4.
The tourney resumes Saturday morning with No. 2 seed Lakeland meeting the Timberlake-Priest River winner at 9 and Intermountain League champ St. Maries taking on the Kellogg-Bonners Ferry winner at 11. The championship game is scheduled for 1 p.m.