Great athletes, performances abundant

Farewells – and the assorted final words associated with them – are always difficult at this time of the year.

We salute yet another richly talented senior class and eagerly anticipate what next year’s seniors are poised to accomplish.

Many seniors leave their hand and foot prints all over the state and regional athletic landscapes.

And we mention a few knowing that several others also are worthy of special mention. Amy Dyck of Sandpoint, Matt Troxel of Lake City, Peter Wroe of Coeur d’Alene, Gretchen Bailey of Wallace, Linda Scheffelmaier of Kootenai, James Hegbloom of Mullan, Liana Duvall of Lakeland, Caleb Cazier of Timberlake, Sarah Johnston of Priest River, Luke Feist of Sandpoint, Brent Russum of Lewiston, Jenna Hays of Bonners Ferry, Jordan Redman of Timberlake, Brooke and Brynn Bemis of Lake City, Jacob High of Bonners Ferry, Holly Jepson of Priest River, John Willy of Post Falls, Ryan Morton of Coeur d’Alene, Natalie Hammons of Lake City, Kyle Mann of Kellogg and Andy Kifer of Lakeland are some that will leave voids that will be difficult to fill.

But space won’t allow for a detailed accounting of their successes this year.

Here’s a look back at some of the noteworthy feats.

Fall

In football, Sandpoint’s march to the State 4A championship game was nothing short of impressive. This was a senior-laden team chock-full of talent driven by the goal of going out as state champions.

The Bulldogs fell short, but the journey was entertaining nonetheless. Now with coach Satini Puailoa stepping aside, the baton is handed to Sean Dorris, who gets his chance to fulfill a dream of being a head coach.

A year after capturing the State 4A title the previous year, Lake City made a smooth transition to 5A, falling in the state semifinals when eventual state champion Centennial rallied in the final minute. The Timberwolves took on an ambitious schedule, knocking off then No. 1-ranked and undefeated Kamiakin of Kennewick in early October.

In volleyball, Sandpoint cruised to a second straight 4A state title, finishing 36-0 under second-year coach Jamie Pancho. Amy Dyck collected a well-deserved second straight Gatorade Player of the Year award.

In soccer, the Sandpoint boys’ string of three straight 4A state titles was snapped by Kuna in the state final, while goalie Peter Wroe led Coeur d’Alene to a state runner-up finish in 5A.

Winter

In wrestling, Bonners Ferry captured its first state trophy under 18-year coach Conrad Garner in grand fashion, taking second behind the state-title efforts of Adam Hall and Tim Johnson.

Sandpoint’s reign in 4A came to an end, but Bulldog seniors Luke Feist, who is headed to Stanford, and Quinn Walkington captured individual titles. It was Feist’s second straight title.

In girls basketball, Priest River returned to the 3A state-title game, falling to 2003 runner-up Marsh Valley. Lakeland took third and just missed making it an all-Intermountain League showdown for the state crown when the Hawks fell in overtime to Marsh Valley in the semifinals.

Lake City’s girls, behind the Bemis twins, took third in 5A and Kootenai bounced back after an embarrassing first-round loss to take the 1A consolation title.

In boys basketball, Lakeland captured its first league title since 1971 in its final year in the 3A ranks. And Lakeside, led by lone senior Dan Montague, captured the 1A consolation trophy.

Spring

In track, the Lake City girls not only defended their 5A state title, they did so in dominating fashion.

LC posted 118 points, eclipsing the modern-era previous best of 117. Junior Breanna Sande captured the long-distance trifecta with individual titles in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meters, and she teamed with sophomore Sasha Tucker and seniors Natalie Hammons and Meagan Garcia to take gold in the 1,600 relay.

The quartet of Hammons, Garcia, senior Marisa Schneider and sophomore Kristi Holte gave LC a third straight state title in the 400 relay. No other 5A school in the last 18 years has won more than two state 400s in a row.

Timberlake’s boys, led by flamboyant senior Caleb Cazier, and Bonners Ferry’s girls captured 3A state titles and Kootenai, behind sisters Amy and Darcy Collins, made it a state threepeat in 1A.

In baseball, Lake City, behind senior pitcher/outfielder Dan Lau, finished second in the State 5A tourney, falling to perennial power Timberline 7-6.

In golf, Coeur d’Alene’s boys, led by state medalist Ryan Morton, gave outgoing coach Darrell Hull a fine sendoff with a state title.

In softball, Coeur d’Alene, with a starting lineup featuring five sophomores and one freshman, took powerhouse Eagle to the brink before finishing second in the State 5A tourney for the sixth time in the last seven years.

Final thoughts

I can’t let the year end without a comment about the recent coaching hires/fires at Bonners Ferry High.

The Boundary County School Board approved the hiring of first-year high school principal Curt-Randall Bayer as the girls head basketball coach and chose not to renew the contract of boys basketball coach Mike Cowley after one year. Both decisions are appalling.

I’m sure Bayer is a capable coach. So this is nothing personal with him. But he was chosen over interim coach Travis Hinthorn, who led the Badgers to the highest possible finishes in league and district – third in both behind powers Lakeland and Priest River – while filling in admirably for his wife, Kelly, who resigned after having their first child.

First, the school board changed a longstanding policy of forbidding administrators from being head coaches. Second, the interview committee was stacked with high school employees (the athletic director and two teachers) and two school board members.

The board also fired Cowley after one season. It didn’t give him a reason. Returning players have threatened not to play next year as their way of protesting the decision.

These actions have caused school district patrons to question the board’s credibility. This in an environment where a new high school is being built after surviving an aggressive appeal by voters who opposed it. And this after the board pleaded with voters to pass a levy this spring so important programs wouldn’t be cut.

• Three North Idaho leagues will have major changes next year.

Lakeland moves out of the 3A Intermountain League to 4A and will be a member of the combined 5A/4A Inland Empire League. Wallace drops from 2A to 1A and will join the North Star League.

Wallace should enjoy immediate success in all sports in the NSL. The same can’t be said of Lakeland. The Rathdrum school’s boys and girls teams will struggle in most sports as they make the transition from being the top dog in the IML to the smallest dog in the IEL.

Lakeland’s departure from the IML will affect that league too. While Lakeland dominated in most sports in the past decade, the school’s presence in the league also made the other teams better. So there will be a measurable drop at first in the competitive level at state for most of the sports in the IML for at least a year.

My guess is Timberlake, Bonners Ferry and Kellogg will field the most competitive teams league-wide in most sports.