THE FRONT ROW WITH MARK NELKE: September 12, 2013

Wednesday brought another wave of emotions - this time, being the 12th anniversary of 9/11.

When it happened back in 2001, there were alternate feelings of shock, sadness, madness, feeling sad for all those who died, and all those who lost loved ones in the attacks.

There were feelings of wondering what was going to happen next, to feelings of wanting to go out and strangle someone, we were so damn mad about what they did.

Anyway, three days later, I covered a football game at Lake City. I couldn't tell you who they played, without going back and looking it up.

But I remember this feeling of being in a fog - everything seemed so different now. Should we even be doing this, so soon after so many people had senselessly died?

Then they played the national anthem.

With each line, those feelings came back - starting with sadness, transitioning to madness, with a little us against them national pride sprinkled in, to the point where, when the song ended and the game was about to begin, I wanted to go out and hit somebody - and I hadn't played tackle football since fifth grade.

When the anthem ended, as I stood on the sidelines prior to kickoff, a Lake City administrator walked by.

"Well, that song had a lot different meaning tonight," he said.

Indeed.

I've listened to the national anthem a lot differently since.

I WATCHED a tape of the first half of Bellevue's 45-7 beatdown of Skyline last week. Bellevue, which has won five straight Washington state 3A titles, 10 of the last 12, and is now riding a 41-game winning streak, led 35-0 at halftime.

Bellevue and Skyline also played last Saturday night at Husky Stadium in Seattle, in the finale of the four-game Emerald City Kickoff Classic. In the game right before theirs, Coeur d'Alene lost a 44-43 shootout to Bothell (Wash.).

Skyline (0-1) visits Coeur d'Alene (1-1) on Friday night, in the second game of an Idaho Football Classic doubleheader at Viking Field. Kickoff is scheduled for around 8 p.m.

"What we saw is, Bellevue is a very, very good football team," Coeur d'Alene coach Shawn Amos said. "Skyline is Skyline, so they're going to be a very good program too."

Skyline lost a lot of key players from last year's team that won its second straight Washington state 4A title, fourth in the last five years, and seventh since 2000.

But still, Amos cautioned Viking fans looking for a little payback from Skyline's 71-20 pasting of Coeur d'Alene at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, saying "Bellevue is that good."

"If they're thinking Skyline is not going to be a challenge, that might be wishful thinking," Amos said.

Coeur d'Alene has played some pretty good teams in recent years, but those games have usually necessitated a bus trip. This year, one of those storied programs visits Coeur d'Alene.

"We're just happy to have a home game against a team like Skyline," Amos said. "They've been one of the best teams in the Northwest, and we get to host them. It's a big deal."

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached by phone at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter at CdAPressSports.