The Front Row with JASON ELLIOTT October 20, 2010

There is something to be said about homecoming.

Either you love it or hate it, but at least you can expect some craziness the week of the event, which is exactly what happened among all the howling at Lake City High on Friday night.

MOST TEAMS save homecoming for a conference opener, or a rivalry game that has a lot at stake.

In the 5A Inland Empire League, that's pretty tough to do with only three games in league and sometimes (much like this year with Coeur d'Alene and Lake City), they've got one of them at home.

Other times, like for those schools in the Intermountain and North Star leagues, you get at least two league home games a year in front of the home crowd.

There have been a few times where those games ran long - often taking anywhere from 2 1/2 to 3 hours depending on the flow of the game.

One game between Potlatch and Wallace I covered a few years ago was still in action well after the deadline approached at 9:30 p.m. That night, it was probably a good thing I'd set an alarm on my cell phone, or that story may not have made the next day's paper.

Homecoming, a high school football fan's best friend - and a sportswriter with an early deadline's worst nightmare.

AS THE night began to set in, the temperature began to drop, along with chances that the visiting team was going to win.

Although the game had its moments, it was also beginning to seem as though it was a complete mismatch, despite both teams holding identical 4-2 records coming into Friday.

It didn't seem like teams with matching records once the end of the third quarter hit and the Timberwolves were leading 39-6 - all this without starting quarterback Mark Smyly, who sat out with a shoulder injury.

On that night, Lake City could have almost scored at will behind running backs Allen Carmichael and Kaleb Mitchell, but spread the ball around enough to at least get some backups in on the way to a 46-18 win.

As a team, the Timberwolves ran for 329 yards while getting 83 yards from junior quarterback Bobby Traverse, Smyly’s backup.

But the run of the night belonged to someone not even in uniform.

DURING HALFTIME of Friday’s game, a male streaked from the east side entrance and rumbled down the Wenatchee sideline as some of the homecoming candidates were coming to midfield.

The stunt, missed by many due to the other on-the-field festivities, was over quicker than it started as he jumped two fences and was long gone.

I’ve seen plenty of odd events during the week of homecoming — some members of a football team admitting they’d torched a rival’s bonfire, near-freezing temperatures and a few games that required fans to stick around after it ended via the mercy rule, but Friday’s game was by far the craziest.

Hopefully that streaker can find a uniform someday — or at least a pair of pants the next time he opts for an evening jog.

Jason Elliott is a sportswriter for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via e-mail at jelliott@cdapress.com.