THE FRONT ROW with Mark Nelke March 24, 2011

A few notes as we make the transition from winter sports to spring sports:

Post Falls High softball coach Jack Foster knew a key to winning a state title last spring was keeping his ace pitcher, Richelle Ashburn, healthy.

He was able to accomplish that, and Ashburn helped the Trojans capture the 5A title - the program's first state crown.

However, as it turned out, Foster wasn't quite so lucky.

"I don't really know when it happened for sure, but sometime during softball season, I remember having a sore wrist, and it got worse and worse," he said.

Turns out he had broken the wrist on his right (throwing) hand. He broke off the end of his ulna bone, and had some bone chips in his wrist. It was troubling him during the summer while he was playing men's softball. He finally had it checked in August, had surgery, and was seen with his arm in a sling during football season, when he was an assistant coach with the Trojans.

On top of that, Foster had his knee replaced in November, right before Thanksgiving.

So, quite the busy 2010.

"One state title, two surgeries, and I became a grandpa," Foster said.

The Coeur d'Alene High girls basketball team came up just short in its bid for a fourth straight state title, but still continued a quite impressive run.

Because the Vikings have played in the championship game six straight seasons, Coeur d'Alene has been able to play every state tourney game during that span at the Idaho Center in Nampa - no one else can make that claim.

In 5A, if a team loses on the first or second day, it plays for a trophy on Saturday at some other gym, as only the championship games in all six classifications are played at the Idaho Center.

Coeur d'Alene is 15-3 at the big arena during that span, including a stretch of 11 straight wins ended by the loss to Lewiston in the title game last month.

The last time Coeur d'Alene played a state tournament game away from the Idaho Center was in 2005 - when the Vikings beat Highland of Pocatello at Skyview High in Nampa for the consolation (fourth-place title).

Centennial is the only other team to make it to state each of the past six years. The Patriots are 11-7 at state during that time, 9-5 at the Idaho Center, with two state title game appearances and one title.

Boise has the third-most wins at state during that time, going 9-6 in five appearances, 5-5 at the Idaho Center with no title game appearances.

The rest of the 5A list - Highland (five appearances at state in the past six seasons, 6-8 overall, 4-6 at Idaho Center), Lake City (three appearances, 6-3 overall, 5-2 at IC), Lewiston (two appearances, 5-1 overall and at the IC, one title, one runner-up finish), Vallivue (three appearances, 5-4 overall, 4-3 at IC), Borah (two appearances, 2-3 overall, 1-3 at IC), Twin Falls (two appearances, 2-4 overall, 2-2 at IC), Post Falls (one appearance - third in 2008 - 2-1 overall, 1-1 at IC), Madison (one appearance, 1-2 overall, 1-1 at IC), Meridian (two appearances, 1-4 overall, 1-3 at IC), Capital (one appearance, 1-2 overall, 1-1 at IC), Eagle (four appearances, 0-8 overall, 0-8 at IC), Skyline (two appearances, 0-4 overall, 0-2 at IC), Mountain View (three appearances, 0-6 overall, 0-6 at IC).

Trent Derrick hinted when he took over as Lakeland High athletic director last fall that he might only coach one more season as the Hawks' boys basketball coach.

Derrick resigned the basketball position recently, after 15 seasons and a 142-199 overall record. Between 1999 and 2004, Derrick guided the Hawks to five state tournaments, including a third-place finish in 2001. Lakeland last qualified for state in 2004, when the Hawks were in 3A.

"When I took the AD position, I knew it would require a lot of my time and had planned on this being my last year coaching from the beginning of the year," Derrick said. "I have a son who is a third-grader and one who is in eighth grade and am looking forward to having more time to be involved in their activities."

Derrick said anyone interested in the basketball job can contact him at Lakeland High, or go to the Lakeland School District website to apply.

A couple of errors from our spring sports special section last week:

Lake City outfielder Avalon Leddy, a three-year starter for the Timberwolves softball team, is a senior, not a junior.

Coeur d'Alene's boys track team was second at the state 5A meet last year, not fifth. Coeur d'Alene's girls were fifth.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via e-mail at mnelke@cdapress.com.