Northwest Notes October 19, 2010
Rec basketball deadline extended
COEUR d'ALENE - The deadline for team registration for the upcoming Coeur d'Alene city recreation basketball league has been extended to this Friday.
Information: 769-2250.
NIC AD, others to take on Harlem Ambassadors
North Idaho College Athletic Director Al Williams and several other leaders in the community will play on the Kiwanis Klassics team while taking on the Harlem Ambassadors at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 2 at The Arean at Post Falls High School.
All proceeds will be distributed equally between the Kootenai Boys and Girls Club and scholarships for college-bound Post Falls High School students. In their 13th season, the Ambassadors show off dazzling ball-handling tricks, high-flying slam dunks and hilarious family comedy with a variety of interactive activities with the audience.
Some of the local players committed to playing for the Kiwanis team include: Jerry Lyon, president Community 1st Bank; Kevin Garasky, mortgage broker; Ryan Asher, Post Falls firefighter; Al Williams, athletic director at NIC, Justin Capaul, Post Falls firefighter; Erin Landers, Express Employment; Craig Wilcox, DA Davidson; Kris Crocker, meteorologist from KXLY Channel 4 news and Jerry Keane, Post Falls School District superintendent.
Tickets can be purchased in advance for $9 adults, $7 students/seniors, or at the door for $11 adults, $9 students/seniors or pre-game pricing with a two-item food donation to the Post Falls Food Bank. Children under 4 are free.
Tickets are available at Community 1st Bank, INB, and Panhandle Bank.
Tickets purchased before Nov. 2 will be entered into a drawing to win a Nintendo Wii game. The drawing will be held the night of the game.
Information: (208) 777-8937
Eastern celebrates homecoming Saturday
CHENEY - The eighth-ranked Eastern Washington University football team hosts Sacramento State this Saturday in the 19th game of a series in which the home team has won just four times previously. Kickoff at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash., is 1:05 p.m. in the 84th annual homecoming game at EWU.
The game is not televised, but Eastern's radio broadcast of the game may be heard on 700-AM ESPN "The Ticket" and via the web at www.espnnorthwest.com. The game may also be viewed at www.bigskytv.org
Making the task even more challenging for Eastern is that Sacramento State has one of its best teams this year -- if not the best - since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996. The Hornets are 3-3 this season and 2-2 in the league, and their losses - namely three-point heartbreakers to Montana and Montana State - are maybe even more impressive than their wins.
"I know what we're up against and it's going to be tough," said Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin, whose team has squeaked out victories in their last two outings. "There are certain things that happened in the last two weeks that we won't get away with against Sac State. It's still a matter of coming together and fixing those heading into next week. We're just trying to find a way to get to 5-1 in the league next week - that's our goal."
Eastern's defense has been the driving force behind EWU's 5-2 record overall thus far - its best start since winning the Big Sky Conference title in 1997 as the Eagles were the last team other than Montana to win the league title outright. Eastern's 4-1 league mark is its best five-game start since 2004. Eastern finished the 1997 regular season 10-1 overall and 7-1 in the league, and in 2004 EWU was 6-1 in the league and 8-3 in the regular season.
The Eagles are ranked eighth in this week's Sports Network/Fathead.com top 25 NCAA Football Championship Subdivision poll, up four spots from last week. It equals Eastern's highest ranking since finishing the 2007 season ranked eighth.
But they face a huge test against a Sac State team currently ranked 15th in FCS in scoring offense (33.3 per game) and 31st in total offense (382.3). Eastern has the 48th-best rushing defense at 139.7 per game and is 36th in scoring defense (27.6 points per game). Interestingly, only two of the 117 FCS schools are worse than the Eagles and Hornets in passing yards allowed per game - Eastern is 114th (271.3) and Sac State is 115th (278.2).