THE FRONT ROW with Mark Nelke Nov. 28, 2013

This year, Lake City High missed out on the state football playoffs for the first time since 1996 despite its 6-3 record — though the consensus was, the Timberwolves deserved to be in the playoff field.

Next fall, if a new proposal for state 5A football playoff berths goes through, that oversight will be less likely to happen in the future.

And the good news — even the Boise-area coaches seem to be on board with it as well.

A proposal from 5A schools statewide to increase 5A football playoff berths from eight teams to 12 beginning next fall — which would ensure at least two North Idaho teams qualify for the postseason — is expected to be discussed at the December board meeting of the Idaho High School Activities Association.

Tol Gropp, athletic director at Timberline High in Boise, is expected to make the presentation.

“I’m all for it,” said Todd Simis, football coach at Capital High in Boise, a perennial playoff team.

“I like it,” said Highland football coach Gino Mariani, whose Rams lost to Coeur d’Alene in the state title game last weekend. “I like that more teams are getting opportunities too. I thought Lake City should have had an opportunity to be in it.”

FIRST, SOME background.

Playoff berths in Idaho are rewarded based on simple math, with each region receiving a similar percentage of berths depending on how many teams are in their region.

In the past, North Idaho has often gotten two berths to the state 5A football playoffs out of its four-team 5A Inland Empire League.

This year, the North got just one berth, while the Boise area, with 10 teams, got five berths and eastern Idaho, with five teams, received two berths.

And with two more teams scheduled to move up to 5A in the Boise area in the future, and with eastern Idaho going from five to six 5A teams next year, the prospects of the North getting more than one playoff berth in the future appear even slimmer.

Under the new 12-team proposal, the North would get two berths, the Boise area six berths (out of 12 teams) and eastern Idaho three berths (out of six teams). The formula for determining which region would get the 12th playoff berth has yet to be determined.

Four of the 12 teams would receive first-round byes — the top team from the North, the top two from the Boise area and the top team from eastern Idaho. The other eight teams would play off the first weekend — the ninth week of the regular season — with the winners advancing to play the four teams who had byes the following weekend in the quarterfinals.

In general, the teams who probably would get byes that first weekend say they would be OK with it — as long as they were able to schedule a “Zero Week” game in late August, so they still get nine regular season games.

IF THIS proposal passes, kudos to the Boise-area ADs and coaches. They could have taken their guaranteed berths (probably five) in an eight-team tournament and said the heck with what anybody else gets. 

This year’s No. 5 seed from the Boise area, Timberline, came up to Coeur d’Alene with its 4-5 record and got thumped 52-9 by the Vikings in the first round. 

Under the new proposal, at least the No. 2 team from North Idaho would be able to advance in the playoffs, playing perhaps a No. 3 or 4 seed from Boise, or a similar lower seed from eastern Idaho.

This year, that team (Lake City) didn’t even get that chance.

Next year, hopefully it will.

“We just think we’ve proven we have two teams who typically deserve to get into the state playoffs,” said Coeur d’Alene coach Shawn Amos, whose team has been the top seed from the North each of the past five years. “I have a feeling it (the proposal) has a decent chance (of passing). At least (the Boise-area) ADs and coaches are behind us.”

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at CdAPressSports.