Northwest Notes, April 9, 2014

| April 9, 2014 9:00 PM

Coeur d'Alene High football parent meeting scheduled for April 16

COEUR d'ALENE - A parent meeting for all parents with sons who plan to play football at Coeur d'Alene High this fall is scheduled for April 16 at 6 p.m. in the school gymnasium.

Offseason activities, including camp, will be covered.

Shock QB Meyer named AFL offensive player of week

CHICAGO - Spokane Shock quarterback Erik Meyer, who completed 19 of 28 passes for 258 yards and four scores in addition to setting a single-game franchise record with four rushing touchdowns in Spokane's 73-62 victory over the San Jose SaberCats, was named Arena Football League offensive player of the week.

Last year's offensive player of the year and AFL MVP has recorded a triple-digit passer rating in each of the last three games and stands just seven passing yards shy of 7,000 for his career.

Verlin receives NABC's Literacy Award for Readers as Leaders program

DALLAS - Over the past six years, Idaho men's basketball coach Don Verlin has been growing his Readers as Leaders program in Moscow and the surrounding communities, reaching about 2,500 elementary school kids in 2013-14.

Sunday, Verlin was recognized with the National Association of Basketball Coaches' Literacy Champion Award for the program's success.

Readers as Leaders was started back in 2008 with the help of Idaho assistant coach Chris Helbling, former elementary teacher Jodi Donaldson and Dr. Michael Pickard as program director. When the program began it reached most elementary students in Moscow, but with Dr. Pickard as the catalyst, Readers as Leaders has expanded to include all Moscow, Troy, Potlatch and Genesee elementary students and incorporated multiple incentive levels for each student.

"With all successful programs you must have outstanding teamwork," Verlin said. "Coach Helbling and Dr. Pickard have done an unbelievable job of organizing and working with our men's basketball team as well as a number of principals and teachers to help develop and grow the program every year."

Notable past winners of the Literacy Champion Award include Tubby Smith (Kentucky/2005), Mike Krzyzewski (Duke/2000) and Fran Fraschilla (New Mexico/1999).

In Idaho's Readers as Leaders program, the men's basketball team visits several local elementary schools near the beginning of the basketball season, encouraging students to challenge themselves with reading goals.