Lakeland to drop from IEL

Fearing its athletes are overexposed to 5A teams, Lakeland High School officials announced Monday it is withdrawing from the 5A/4A combined Inland Empire League beginning next fall.

At a league meeting in September, 4A Lakeland asked IEL schools to alter the conference schedule in boys and girls basketball, volleyball and boys and girls soccer. Lakeland proposed that instead of 4A schools playing 5A schools twice, the schools would play each other once while continuing to play league schools in the same classification twice. The proposal was overwhelmingly rejected 12-2 on a vote of principals and athletic directors.

“After careful consideration, Lakeland High School has decided that we cannot play a full schedule of games against the 5A schools,” Lakeland principal Conrad Underdahl read from a prepared statement he shared at a league meeting Monday at Worley. “It is our hope that we can continue to have a positive relationship with the IEL member schools. At some point in the future we would look forward to re-establishing our IEL membership.”

Lakeland’s withdrawal would run concurrently with the 2008-10 classification cycle.

“We’re trying to do what is in the best interest of our kids and programs,” Lakeland athletic director Will Havercroft said.

Because there aren’t an equal number of 5A and 4A schools in the league, the 4A schools play more league games against 5A schools than against 4A schools. There are four 5A schools (Coeur d’Alene, Lake City, Lewiston and Post Falls) and three 4A schools (Lakeland, Moscow and Sandpoint).

“That means our athletes are overexposed to the 5A schools,” Havercroft said.

Lakeland is the second-smallest school in the IEL. Based on the enrollment numbers reported to the state Department of Education for the 2008-10 classification cycle, Lakeland’s enrollment was 814. Moscow was the smallest of the 4A league schools at 808 and Sandpoint was the biggest (1,206). Among the 5A schools, Lewiston was the biggest (1,539) and was followed closely by CdA (1,536), LC (1,532) and Post Falls (1,447).

LC A.D. Jim Winger said Lakeland’s decision affects all the league schools.

“Scheduling is already an extreme hardship for all the schools in the league and it’s just gotten harder now,” Winger said. “Lakeland’s kids won’t have any chance at all-league honors and the 4A (regional) seeding will be messy.”

League officials went to an unbalanced schedule in baseball and softball two years ago that called for schools to play opponents in the same classification four times but just twice in crossover games between 5A and 4A schools. It was Lakeland’s hope that a similar ratio of games could be adopted in the other sports.

Winger said the other league schools rejected Lakeland’s proposal because it would create scheduling issues.

Moscow and Sandpoint officials said they will continue to play in the combined league and not split to form an alliance with Lakeland.

“We’re committed to the league in all sports except football,” Moscow A.D. Jerry Jaques said.

Football is the lone sport that the teams are split into separate 5A and 4A leagues. Moscow played non-league games against Lewiston and Post Falls this season, but the school won’t play any 5A schools next fall, Jaques said.

Lakeland will continue to play Rathdrum Prairie rival Post Falls in football and at least one of the other 5A school, Havercroft said. Havercroft said Lakeland and Post Falls will continue to play each other in the Prairie Pig spirit doubleheader in basketball.

What must be worked out among the 4A schools in the other sports for next year is how Lakeland will be seeded into state-qualifying regional tournaments.

Lakeland’s request comes, interestingly, at a time when its football team just experienced its most successful season since moving up to 4A in 2004. The Hawks finished 7-4, advancing to the state semifinals before losing 21-14 to Nampa.

Havercroft said most of Lakeland’s sports except football are experiencing lower turnouts, including girls basketball, which, arguably, has had the most success in the combined league. Lakeland had a turnout of 28 for three teams in girls basketball for this season.

“It’s not a decision that was made lightly,” Underdahl said. “The easiest thing to do is to maintain (league) membership. But we need to do what’s right for our kids.”