THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Wednesday, June 17, 2015

I've seen a lot of high school football in my days as a sports writer.

From the Kibbie Dome to some of the smallest fields in the area, there's one that stands out among them.

John Drager Field in Mullan, home of the Tigers.

IN MULLAN, you never really knew what was going to happen when you went to a game.

The first game I covered back in 2001, a fan - who had his view obstructed by a tree on a road behind the field - opted to take out his chainsaw and cut down the tree right before kickoff.

Being a young photographer at that time, taking photos was never a problem as the field did not have lights and afternoon football, while inconvenient for some, made for a good way to spend a few hours on a Friday afternoon out of the office.

I never had to worry much about parking as my grandma lived a block away from the field, so often times, I'd park in her driveway and make my way up to the field.

Some games were better and more competitive than others, but watching games that finished 88-64 and 92-46 were incredible, considering both teams often had players that played both offense and defense.

Considering that the Mullan team often had 11 or 12 players, to finish third in the state 1A playoffs in 2003 and '06 - long before 1A was split into two different classifications - was nothing short of amazing as well.

Mullan playing against Wallace for the first time as league rivals - a game I thought I'd never see - fans lined both sidelines in Mullan.

With fans, you never really knew what to expect sometimes. From blowing a siren for Mullan touchdowns to yelling down to coaches when something wasn't going right, it was definitely an experience to have.

THIS YEAR, however, Mullan - a small-school football power in the 1980s, with state titles in 1983 and '84 - has chosen not to field a team after low numbers caused the program to fold, for at least this fall.

The move, while not ideal, is understandable with the program graduating four of nine players it finished with last year.

As of last week, Mullan had five players that were going to play this year, and with the chance of not having a season, the decision was made to cancel the season last Wednesday in order for other schools to find replacement games.

Players that want to continue playing might have to travel to 3A Kellogg to compete this year, or play with Wallace, which will be a 1A Division I independent in football for the second straight year.

The move leaves the 1A Division II North Star League with three teams: Kootenai, Clark Fork and Lakeside along with those in the White Pine League competing for berths to the playoffs.

HOPEFULLY THIS is just a one-year postponement, but with the way things look now, who knows.

Mullan has often times recently fought the possibility of not having enough players by the start of the season, but yet, somehow and some way, they'd find enough to start the season as scheduled.

Come the 2016 season, it really wouldn't shock me to see the Tigers back on their home field again.

There's a lot of fight in that town.

Don't expect it to go away without one.

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 @JEPressSports.