THE FRONT ROW with Mark Nelke May 19, 2011

After flailing around in the elements during this miserable, soggy spring, high school athletes are wrapping up their spring sports seasons this week at state.

Golfers dealt with snow one day and the sun the next earlier this week at the state tournaments in the Boise area.

The state track and field meets unfold today through Saturday in Boise, the state baseball tournaments are down in that area as well, and the state tennis tournament is Friday and Saturday in the Boise area.

The forecast for the Boise area is fairly encouraging - windy on Thursday, mostly sunny on Friday and a few showers on Saturday.

A pair of state softball tournaments are scheduled for up here Friday and Saturday - the 5As at Post Falls High, the 4As at Ramsey Park in Coeur d'Alene.

The forecast is less encouraging up here, but at least more optimistic than it has been most of the spring - isolated showers on Friday and scattered showers on Saturday. Let's hope those showers are scattered before or after the softball games.

Two state softball tournaments in Coeur d'Alene have been shortened by rain in recent years. Last year, Coeur d'Alene High's third-place game at the state baseball tournament was rained out.

Give our local prep athletes a break for a few days, will ya? They've had to compete in 40-degree temperatures, soldiering on through the rain and the wind and even the snow.

And that was just in May.

That was the weather report.

Now to Sports.

HERE'S A few things to watch for this weekend:

Kinsey Gomez: The Coeur d'Alene High senior looks to close out a stellar prep career today and Friday at Bronco Stadium.

She won the 1,600 and 3,200 meters at state last year. Last fall the Oregon State-bound Gomez won the state cross country title for the third time in four years.

Casey Stangel: She's still got two more years of high school after this year, though she has accomplished quite a bit in her first two years. The left-handed pitcher is 22-0 this year and seemingly threatens her own school record for strikeouts in a game every time out (her record for Ks is 18).

It will be interesting to see how the Boise teams react. The teams that have faced her - Mountain View, Rocky Mountain, Timberline and Eagle - haven't stepped in the box against her since early in her freshman year.

Coeur d'Alene athletics: The Vikings are trying to win the first state baseball title in school history. Coeur d'Alene won state in 2001, but had to forfeit the title days later when it was learned the Vikings used an ineligible player.

More current, a title would add to an impressive recent run by Coeur d'Alene boys and girls teams.

The baseball team tied for third last year. The Vikings went first (wrestling), second (girls basketball) and third (boys basketball) at state last winter. In track, Coeur d'Alene's boys were second last year at state, the girls fifth. The Viking boys were third at state cross country last fall. Coeur d'Alene won the state football title last fall, and tied for third in 2009.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via e-mail at [email protected].