THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT, October 30, 2013

I've heard it for years from high school football coaches - homecoming, if not handled correctly, can be more of a distraction than it should be.

A few weeks ago, it had nothing to do with the football team.

NOT THAT any more needed to be thrown into the rivalry game between Timberlake and Lakeland, who share the same school district, but it also wound up being the Hawks' annual homecoming game this year.

On the field, it went about as well as coach Tim Kiefer could have asked, his team winning the game 34-6 against the visiting Tigers of Spirit Lake.

Off the field - that's another story.

The game was delayed because the halftime events took over 38 minutes to complete.

That's right, 38 minutes.

Teams get 15 minutes, plus an extra three minutes once getting back onto the field to stretch and get ready to start the third quarter any other time of the year.

The exception is homecoming, with schools sometimes getting up to 20 minutes to get all the crowning in.

"Our kids do a good job with homecoming," Kiefer said. "I actually think it helps our team focus, because the whole school rallies behind us and we're preaching at them all week is that our contribution to it is we get to play a football game. All the kids in the school, they do what they do, and it's awesome, but for our kids, their 100 percent function is the football game."

BOTH TEAMS returned to the field in plenty of time to begin the second half, but due to the homecoming program running late, Lakeland received a delay of game penalty to start the second half.

"I guess the rules are, if the halftime show takes too long, they penalize the home team," Kiefer said. "I didn't feel it was right, but I guess that's the rule and they enforced the rule the way they did."

The school also cut it close to receiving a second penalty last Friday, but were able to fit the entire halftime program into 15 minutes.

"I really don't like the rule," Kiefer said. "Because we didn't have any control over it and our kids, the football team, shouldn't have been punished for it."

Unfortunately, someone had to, and it was the football team.

THE ONE thing I've noticed over the past few years is that homecoming has became about more than just the football game.

It might be the one time of the year that fans actually show up to watch their respective schools, instead of listening on the radio.

While they are in the stands, you might as well give them a show, right?

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at JEPressSports.