THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Done - for the most part - are the extended holiday breaks, days off and long road trips to see someone different.
Now, area schools better be paying attention to what is happening in their own league, or the season might soon be over.
IF THERE'S anywhere to cool off a team's hot stretch, it might be the mountains of Utah, where the Post Falls High wrestling team finds itself heading for this weekend's Rockwell Rumble in Orem.
Post Falls is fresh off winning its annual River City Duals tournament over the weekend, adding that to championships won at the Rollie Lane Invitational at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa and the Tri-State Invitational at North Idaho College.
"It's a different style of tournament for us," said Post Falls coach Pete Reardon of the River City win. "With individual tournaments, you can have six to eight wrestlers that can wrack up points. In those dual tournaments, every kid matters, even the weakest kids. It's been really awesome to see the kids step up. Not just those kids that have been placing, but at the dual meets, everyone really battled. They've been stepping up and really fighting. That's what I like to see, because it gives all the kids a chance to shine. And they've done really awesome so far."
Post Falls finished fifth in the 68-team tournament in Utah last season.
Should the run of the Trojans' continue, it might take a strong showing from Bonneville, Centennial or Borah to keep the state 5A championship from returning to the northern part of the state since back-to-back championships by Coeur d'Alene in 2010 and 2011.
IN A little over a month, the state girls basketball tournaments will play out in all six classifications in the Boise area.
There has only been a little bit of separation between some of the top schools trying to earn those bids from the area.
Lewiston has a chance to make its case with wins in the coming two weeks, with five games against Lake City, Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls looming in the next two weeks.
It's tough to imagine, but Friday's game between the Timberlake girls, the top-ranked team in last week's state 3A media poll, and Bonners Ferry was only the second time the Tigers have had some of their projected rotation together this season.
Timberlake is 12-2 entering Saturday's annual Battle for the Buck spirit game against Priest River, which is third in the polls. Kellogg, which is 0-2 in league play, is fourth.
And with only the district champion in 5A and 3A assured a berth to state with runner-ups having to compete in a play-in game, a good team is guaranteed to be staying home.
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.