Expect the unexpected

From the start of the season to the regional championship match, Post Falls girls soccer coach Briggs Anderson has stressed the importance of getting everyone on the roster involved.

They are.

With five freshmen playing key roles, the Trojans made it to state this year for the first time in school history. Post Falls (11-6-0) opens against Boise (13-3-1) today at 11:30 a.m. at Coeur d'Alene High.

"They (the freshmen) are really involved now," said Anderson, who is in his second year as coach. "Now, it's just a matter of maintaining what they've been doing and playing soccer. Throughout the season, we've became a team of soccer players. Whether we're freshmen, sophomores, juniors or seniors - we're a complete team of players and we're going to state like that."

The state 5A, 4A and 3A tournaments begin today, with the 5A boys at Post Falls High and Coeur d'Alene High and the girls at Lake City High and Coeur d'Alene High.

Post Falls’ boys are making their second straight state appearance, and third in four years. The Trojans (14-1-1) open against Borah of Boise (12-2-3) at 11:30 a.m. at Post Falls High. Borah lost to Boise in last year’s title game. Post Falls, with largely the same team last year, finished fourth.

Post Falls coach Gabe Lawson said his team has improved from last year.

“When things get rough during a game, they always seem to find a way to find their rhythm again,” he said. “This year we had half the yellow cards we had last year; our focus has been superb. And I think that is a tribute to our senior leadership. We have 11 seniors, so the maturity level is a lot better this year.”

Lake City’s girls (7-6-4) also open the tournament on their home field, facing Highland (13-3-2) of Pocatello at 11:30 a.m.

Timberlake’s girls are back at state for a third straight year in 3A. The Tigers (10-4-2) open vs. Marsh Valley at 1 p.m. PDT at the Sunway Soccer Complex in Twin Falls.

Championship games are scheduled for Saturday at Coeur d’Alene High, with the boys game at 11 a.m. and the girls game at 2 p.m.

5A GIRLS: Post Falls (11-6) makes its first state tournament appearance in school history, taking on Boise (11-3-3) in the opening round at Coeur d’Alene High. The Trojans are young, with just one senior — along with five juniors, five sophomores and the five frosh.

“The girls don’t know what to expect, and neither do I,” Anderson said. “We’re going to play hard and just hope for the best.”

Sophomore Kelcie Hedge has been the Trojans’ top goal scorer since joining the program, scoring 18 goals with nine assists this season. As a freshman, she broke the school record with 24 goals.

“They (the underclassmen) have really stepped up a lot,” Hedge said. “They’re getting better and are going to come through for us.”

“This year, we moved her back into the midfield,” said Anderson of Hedge, who played forward as a freshman. “The result has been huge as she controls the flow of the game and sets the team up for just about all of our goals (35 this season).”

Post Falls moved up to the 5A classification in 2006, and hadn’t won a postseason match until beating Lewiston on Oct. 4 in Post Falls.

Boise lost in last year’s title game 1-0 to Rocky Mountain — which failed to qualify this year.

Lake City advanced to a fourth consecutive tournament after beating Centennial 3-2 in double overtime of a play-in match last Saturday in Middleton. The Timberwolves are making their 10th state appearance since the school opened in 1994.

“It’s something this program prides itself on,” Lake City coach Matt Ruchti said. “We don’t talk about being district champions or going to state. We talk about playing our best soccer at the right time of the year — and we’re proud of that.”

5A BOYS: Junior Timmy Mueller leads the Trojans with 26 goals, but there’s plenty of other talent around him.

And they’ll need it against the experienced Boise schools.

“The Boise teams are more physical,” Lawson said. “Their players, they play a more direct style of soccer. We try to play more of a possession style. And they rely on their physical strength, and their speed, and their playmakers to make big plays. We knew that last year going into it, and we would try to defend those key players out, but the problem is, when you have 10 solid players out there, it’s hard to key on one.”

Post Falls beat Centennial 1-0 in the first round, lost 3-0 to Boise in the semifinals and lost to Mountain View of Meridian 1-0 in the third-place game.

Lawson said it will be a big advantage to his team to be playing on natural grass. Last year’s tourney games were all played on artificial turf.

“It was a very hard adjustment when we were down there, playing on artificial turf,” he said. “It’s a whole new ballgame. The speed of play is different, the way the ball bounces is different, the way you have to time your runs is different, everything is different. It took something out of our game, having to play on that surface after not having played on it all year.”

Playing at home will be helpful as well, he said.

“They (Boise teams) aren’t used to the traveling, and they’re not going to be used to the cold,” Lawson said. “So there are some advantages.”

The last North Idaho boys team to win a state title in the large-school division was Lake City in 1998.

4A: Sandpoint (11-5-2), which upset top-seeded Lakeland in the 4A Region 1 boys championship last Wednesday, will face Bishop Kelly (10-6-3) at the Idaho Falls Soccer Complex.

Blackfoot (13-1-1), the defending boys champion, opens against Wood River.

The Bishop Kelly girls (19-0) have won the last two state championships.

3A: Timberlake (10-4-2) upset top-seeded Bonners Ferry in the 3A District 1-2 championship game last Thursday in Rathdrum. Timberlake lost in the consolation championship last year, after finishing third in 2010.

This year’s boys and girls tournament will be held at the Sunway Soccer Complex in Twin Falls.

“It’s always a privilege to go (to state) with any group,” Timberlake coach Steve Michael said. “At the start of the season, we didn’t know how we’d get there, but I knew we’d find a way to get there.”

They did — as April Sutton scored in the sixth round of a shootout to give the Tigers the win. Bonners Ferry lost to Fruitland in a play-in match Saturday in Lewiston.

“We’ve still got a lot of things to work on,” Michael said. “We’ll still need to play good defense and find a way to score some points too. We’ve got good stuff and need to continue to play our best.”

McCall-Donnelly, which won the girls tournament last year, opens with American Falls on Thursday

Snake River, which won the boys tournament last year, failed to qualify this year.

Bonners Ferry (8-7-2) is the only 3A boys team from District 1 after beating St. Maries 3-0 in the District 1-2 tournament championship match. St. Maries lost in a state play-in match.