Inland Empire Soccer

Too many matches?

When the Idaho High School Activities Association shortened the soccer season by a week last year – in hopes of assuring better weather for the state tournaments – it caused the regular season to scrunch.

Consequently, that meant too many matches in a week’s time.

So several coaches decided to cut their regular-season schedules down from 18 matches to 16 this fall in hopes of avoiding weeks where they’d play anywhere from three to four matches.

Too many matches in a short period of time makes athletes vulnerable to injuries, limits the amount of practices between matches and can affect the academic work of the student athletes.

Coeur d’Alene girls coach Tarragh Carr said there’s a simple solution to the problem.

“The season is so short and intense as it is,” Carr said. “At one point we’re going to play eight matches in less than two weeks. That’s way too much. We’ve been saying this to the (district) commissioner and the athletic directors for years. In college you only play two matches in a week, and the college season is the same length as the high school season. What we’re doing is setting up the student/athletes to fail.”

So Carr proposes to extend the season by a week either by starting a week earlier or extending it on the back end. She would prefer extending it on the back end because as it is athletes and coaches are giving up a portion or their summers to start the season.

Too many matches in a short period of time mean fewer practices, too.

“We get to a point where we can’t teach anything between matches,” Carr said. “It now becomes a situation where you’re trying to protect your athletes to keep them from injury.”

Returning All-North Idaho players

Ten first-team 2006 selections return, six of whom are boys. They are: Senior forward Evan Palo of Lake City, senior defender Alex Crossingham of Sandpoint, senior defender Jon Latorre of Coeur d’Alene, senior defender Gunnar Paulsen of Sandpoint, senior defender Jalon Eborall of CdA and senior midfielder Jason Vetsch of CdA.

Returning girls are: Senior midfielder/forward Ciara Kremer of Lake City, junior midfielder Brittany Oakley of Sandpoint, senior midfielder Kenna Gardes of Moscow and senior goalkeeper Amanda Wemple of CdA.

Nuptials tied

One of the most eligible bachelors in North Idaho, Sandpoint girls coach Adam Tajan, got married this summer.

It was an athletic merger, too. Tajan married former Sandpoint volleyball standout Jessica Lippi.