THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE, Oct. 2, 2014
You watch a Highland-Coeur d'Alene football game - regular-season or postseason - and you think, 'I could watch these guys play every week.'
Both have talented offenses and strong enough defenses to keep the scores out of the Arena Football League range.
The teams have met five times since the start of the 2012 season, with Highland of Pocatello winning three of them, including a 13-10 nailbiter last Friday at Coeur d'Alene.
They're always a talented team; they're well coached," Highland coach Gino Mariani said of Coeur d'Alene. "You know what you're going to get out of them. You see it on film; you see it out here when you play them. That's why I enjoy playing this game; I know it's going to be a battle to the end. It's amazing that the last three games we've played have been decided by three points every time. It's just amazing how this game comes down to a play or two here or there."
In their instant rivalry, Highland's three wins all came in the regular season. Coeur d'Alene's two wins came in the playoffs, including last year's victory in the state 5A title game.
They could meet up again this year in the playoffs. Coaches don't like to look that far ahead, but we can. In this year's expanded playoffs, if the No. 2 seed from the 5A Inland Empire wins its first-round game vs. the No. 2 seed from the West (Boise-area) B division, it would travel to most likely play Highland in the quarterfinals at Holt Arena in Pocatello.
"Up here, it's a 50/50, because the loser (between Lake City and Coeur d'Alene on Oct. 17) is basically going to be the No. 2 seed ... and the winner of that is going to play us," Mariani said. "The North is going to beat that West B; I'll guarantee you that. There's not anybody over there that's good enough to compete with either one of these schools in this town. That's my opinion, but ... we've got a 50/50 shot at seeing these guys again.
The only difference is, it'll be in Pocatello - so they can make the trip, and we can be gracious hosts."
COEUR d'ALENE GAVE Lewiston all it could handle in 5A Inland Empire League volleyball two weeks ago, losing 15-13 in the fifth game at Lewiston.
The Vikings get another shot at the Bengals tonight, in a 7 p.m. match at Coeur d'Alene High. Lewiston, the two-time defending state champion, is 20-0, 3-0 5A IEL. Coeur d'Alene is 12-2, 3-1.
IF LAKELAND also wants to get in on the Greater Spokane League party in football, we won't find out until 2016 at the earliest.
The Hawks' football schedule this year will be the same next year, with the sites reversed.
"We have two-year contracts with everyone on our football schedule right now so the earliest we would be able to schedule a GSL team would be the fall of 2016," Lakeland athletic director Trent Derrick said. "At that point we will look at our options."
This year, the first year in a while that GSL teams have played North Idaho teams in nonleague games, Lake City played three GSL teams, Coeur d'Alene and Sandpoint two each, Post Falls and Lewiston one each. IEL teams won seven of the nine games.
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 [email protected]