THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Finding ways to stay on right road
Photo courtesy of ROB LAWLER An osprey nest caught fire during the second half of an Intermountain League girls soccer match between Priest River and St. Maries at City Park in St. Maries on Tuesday. The game was called off with 10 minutes remaining due to unsafe lighting around the field.
As coaches and athletes have navigated through the fall season, you knew there might be some speed bumps along the road to the finish.
But really, did you expect it to be smooth sailing anyway?
IN A girls soccer match between Priest River and host St. Maries at City Park, the game — scheduled to kick off at 6 p.m. instead of the usual 4 — was delayed with around 10 minutes remaining due to an issue with the lights at the field.
No, not because somebody forgot to turn the lights on, but for what was on top of the lights.
Due to an osprey nest catching fire, the match was called off with 10 minutes remaining in regulation.
“I believe our keeper was the first one to notice what was going on,” second-year St. Maries girls coach Amber Morris said. “She could hear the crackling from the stuff burning.”
Members of the St. Maries Fire Department responded and shut the power off to deal with the fire. After putting the fire out and restoring power, officials deemed it unsafe to continue.
A few weeks ago, when almost all events were put on hold due to smoke from wildfires along the west coast, some teams had to move practices inside and just wait it out.
“Since it wasn’t the first fall season with unacceptable AQI (air quality index) levels, we used the plan from previous years and moved indoors,” fourth-year Lake City boys soccer coach Alan Rich said. “Our process really didn’t change too much and we focused on ball skills, small-sided games and fitness/conditioning.”
Keep in mind, most — if not all — of these players were unable to play due to COVID for the past five months as events kept getting canceled over the summer.
“Building team chemistry and camaraderie is always a challenge,” Rich said. “A lot of players participate on different club teams or play parks and rec and we are combining different age groups, maturity levels and blending them into one team. My message to them is simple, ‘while you are here, we are Lake City (and not the club teams they also play for). The kids were eager to get back on the field because the pandemic stole their spring and summer seasons.”
Lake City opens the 5A Region 1 tournament today at home against Lewiston at 2 p.m.
Regardless of what happens from here, to get to the postseason has made it a winning season for all the teams involved.
“The Lake City administration and athletic department placed top priority on the safety of players, coaches and spectators and very clearly communicated the practices we were to follow,” Rich said. “I explained to the team that every game was a blessing, and our neighbors in Oregon, Washington and California did not have. We followed the guidelines to reduce the spread by social distancing and wearing facial coverings when required. We performed daily health checks and understood the testing procedures should there be a potential exposure.”
Jason Elliott is a sports writer for The Press. He can be reached by telephone at (208) 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JECdAPress.