Greg Lee: Let’s hear it for Panhandle in banner year

I don’t think I’ve said this about a school year before. In fact, I challenge anyone to go back and look at any of my year-in-review columns and see if I’m right. Or prove me wrong.

Join me in giving our Panhandle athletes and sports teams a standing ovation.

I do know that I’ve said this before, but I’m going to say it again with a big qualification: This will be a year that I won’t soon forget. The specific answer why can be found at the bottom of this column.

Back to the topic at hand. Lake City had a marvelous year, essentially winning a triple crown. That is the school captured a state title in a major sport in each of the three athletic seasons – football, girls basketball and baseball.

But there were many, many golden moments throughout the Panhandle. So here’s a look back at the year that, in my opinion, slipped by at a sprinter’s pace.

Fall

What more can I say about the LC football season? Eight Timberwolves are planning on continuing their careers in college, and a handful of seniors to be will do likewise. Yes, LC was 12-0 and captured the first state title in football in school history. So it would be easy to say, based on those two facts, that this was the best team in school history.

But what made the 2006 team the best was the collection of athletes. There wasn’t a weakness on this team. Many years, coaches have to try different schemes/tricks to hide players or certain positions because they’re not up to snuff. This team was a coach’s dream.

LC won’t go 12-0 next year. But I will say this: Coach Van Troxel’s team won’t experience a dramatic drop. I fully expect LC to make the playoffs and probably win a couple of games. Could the T-Wolves repeat? At this point, I don’t see a dominant team returning. The closest thing to it very well could be LC. Yes, the T-Wolves must replace a host of players lost to graduation. But Troxel has guided his program to a point where all he must do is reload, not rebuild. He has hungry players waiting in the wings to make a name for themselves and carry on the tradition. Tradition, it’s been said, doesn’t graduate.

It was a special season for the Coeur d’Alene girls soccer team. The Vikings captured a state title and it was a superb sendoff for a talented and cohesive group of seniors.

And how about the rebound by the Sandpoint volleyball team? The Bulldogs went from two wins two years ago to a state title last fall. And there are more state titles to come. The club program is flourishing.

Finally, the Sandpoint boys soccer team pulled off an improbable late-season rally to capture a state title.

Winter

We may go many years before we see another state final showdown between city rivals as we did in 5A girls basketball.

It was a classic game, too. Heavily favored Coeur d’Alene – runner-up the year before with the same team back – against underdog Lake City. We knew LC was capable of beating CdA. But many thought since the Vikings were playing for the state title for a second straight year that they were bound to win.

It was a state final I predicted could happen a year ago. LC and CdA were clearly the two best teams in the state. And on this night, LC was clearly the better team. That was because of sophomore post Katie Baker, who was clearly the best player in the tournament and deservedly honored later as the 5A player of the year and the state Gatorade player of the year.

CdA will get back to state next year and win the highly coveted championship that has eluded it. LC could be in the mix to return to state, but the team that got beat out in a double-overtime game, Post Falls, will be in the hunt. The Trojans are hungry and should finally get back to state. But they lack one critical element to win it all – a post. At the 5A level, a team can’t win a state title without a dominant post game.

I can’t close the winter chapter without mentioning the Sandpoint wrestling team. Coach Mike Randles’ team came oh so close to capturing a seventh state title in school history. And Lakeland finished a close third.

Randles resigned after the season to spend more time with a young family that includes two future Bulldogs wrestlers. I tip my hat to Randles. He’s a classy man who ran a classy program.

Spring

The Timberlake boys track team captured its second straight title and third in four years. Can we say dynasty?

Sure, the Tigers graduate Frank Lagrimanta, who was personally responsible for about 30 of the Tigers’ 103.5 points. But Timberlake returns more than enough to make a serious run at a third title. These Tigers work hard for coach Brian Kluss, one of the best coaches around in any sport.

Speaking of repeats, the Coeur d’Alene softball team did so, capturing the school’s fourth state title in the sport since it swapped slowpitch for fastpitch. It all started an ended with senior pitcher Jenna DeLong, whose impressive resume included the two state titles and two runner-up finishes.

Last, but certainly not least, was the LC baseball team. The T-Wolves finished the year on a 13-game winning streak, peaking at the right time. And they did it by starting one senior and eight juniors. Of course the one senior, pitcher/first baseman Alex Capaul, was the top player in the Inland Empire League.

LC couldn’t have won state without Capaul. Next year when LC makes a run at a repeat, they’ll prove they can win one without Capaul. This junior-based team will be even better next year.

“Allow me a personal aside for a moment. One of the reasons I won’t soon forget this year is because this is the senior year of my oldest child, Janel.

She videotaped every one of the Lake City High football team’s 12 victories. Janel was a dedicated manager/videographer for four years, helping with track, boys basketball and football. I’m button-popping proud of her. She is headed to the University of Idaho where she will work with Sam Teevens, the video specialist for all of Idaho’s athletic teams.

“Now for a line I’ve used in this column before: I can’t wait until next year.

Over and out and I’ll see you in the fall.