THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Chances are, if you traveled south for state tournaments in either baseball, softball, track and field or tennis, you got a little more than you bargained for when it came to dealing with the elements.

Weather happens, no matter where the games are played.

Then again, and a majority of the time, whether those games actually get played as well.

WHEN IT came to the Lakeland High baseball team, which lost to Minico 3-1 in the opening round of the state 4A tournament last Thursday at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls, what happened next wasn’t exactly what anyone had in mind.

Due to wet weather, Friday’s games were forced to be postponed, and eventually the losers bracket was canceled, thus ending the Hawks’ season at 10-14 after playing just one state tourney game.

“We didn’t find out we were completely canceled until Friday night at 5:30,” Lakeland coach Jason Bradbury said. “We were originally in a holding pattern (for a loser-out game against Bishop Kelly) for a game scheduled at noon PDT. We found out about 8 that same morning that we were in a holding pattern and that they would call us every hour to give us an update.”

Other options were discussed, such as moving games to nearby high schools.

“The field at the College of Southern Idaho is a very nice ballpark and has an infield tarp,” Bradbury said. “The ‘plan B’ for them if we had inclement weather was to move tournament games to Twin Falls and/or Canyon Ridge High. The problem we all saw with that plan — as it became a reality — was that both of those schools are only about a half-mile from CSI. Chances are, if it rains at CSI, then it’s going to be raining at those other two high schools as well. There was no chance to get any games in once the field at CSI became unplayable.”

And unfortunately for the Hawks, it meant they were done after just one game.

“We were all very disappointed and disheartened about getting rained out,” Bradbury said. “It was a long way to go, especially on a yellow school bus, to play only one game. We play all season to make it to state and wanted desperately to bring back a trophy for our school. Being told we had no chance to do that was a real letdown.”

When Lakeland received the phone call of the tournament officials’ decision, the Hawks were bowling at a nearby bowling alley.

“All the kids were having fun and staying positive,” Bradbury said. “We were doing the best we could. Then we got the phone call. After I let the team know, it was like a switch went off. All their spirits fell, their hearts sank, and many of them wanted to quit the games they were playing.”

Parents were also upset with the decision, according to Bradbury.

“I felt extremely bad for everyone,” Bradbury said. “The parents that made the special trip and sacrifice to be there. The players for not getting the chance to compete for a trophy, and to my seniors that won’t ever have that chance again. I was very proud of how everyone handled it though. Even though they were all disappointed, no one complained and made the situation any worse that it already was. We just tried to stick together and talk through it.”

In the single-elimination tournament, Middleton — which beat Sandpoint in a state play-in game — beat Minico for the state championship on Saturday.

“The people from Twin Falls that put the tournament together were extremely nice and apologetic for what happened,” Bradbury said. “They felt sick about it, and it was very hard on them too. They did everything they could and tried their hardest to make it happen. I feel very bad for them as well. You just can’t always predict Mother Nature and certainly can’t control her.”

AS FAR as Lakeland’s scheduled game against Bishop Kelly, it wound up getting played on Saturday, though not officially.

“They were in the same boat as we were, having lost their first game and canceled out of the tournament,” Bradbury said. “They wanted to play as badly as we did. They got a hold of me on Friday and asked if we were interested in stopping at their field in Boise on our way home to play another game.”

Bishop Kelly took care of everything — umpires, field preparation, etc. — in order to get the game played.

“Even though it wasn’t an official game in the books, I accepted it 100 percent because I wanted the chance for my boys to get more experience in playing at the state level,” Bradbury said. “I was able to get my whole team in the game, and we were able to work on many things from the previous day’s loss. Everyone contributed and got great experience.”

Bishop Kelly won the game 5-2.

“For us, it was a win because we had the opportunity to play one last time together and that much needed experience playing a good opponent,” Bradbury said. “Getting the experience to play in that kind of tournament was so important. They all got to see what it was like and know what to expect if we’re lucky enough to make it back next year. We could be good enough to bring home a trophy, but they all need to work hard, stay together, and never let anything get in the way. If they can do that, I like our chances with this group. They’re great kids and I love coaching them.”

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached at (208) 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JEPressSports.