THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: Vandals, Bulldogs and ‘old’ ‘Dogs, etc.

Random thoughts while we watch to see if the Idaho Vandals will play their way into the FCS playoffs for the first time since 1995, when their first-year head coach, Jason Eck, was just beginning his college playing days as an offensive lineman at Wisconsin …

SANDPOINT High’s football season ended Friday night, some 80 miles from where it began — and some 550 miles from home.

The Bulldogs were the last team standing in high school football in District 1, before losing to Skyline of Idaho Falls — again — this time in the state 4A semifinals on Friday night at Holt Arena.

Last year, Sandpoint fell to the Grizzlies in the state title game at the Kibbie Dome in Pocatello. Two years ago, the Bulldogs fell in a cold, snowy semi in Idaho Falls.

Yes, Sandpoint fell short of capturing its second state title in school history, and first since 1997.

But one state title game appearance, and two trips to the semifinals, in a three-year span is still a heckuva run for this group of Bulldogs.

A SANDPOINT-Bishop Kelly title game this week (which would have been in Boise, not at the Kibbie Dome as was listed online) would have been apropos, as those two schools seem to run into each other a lot at state in other sports.

BK is a well-balanced squad as we noticed when the Knights handed it to Lake City up here a few weeks — and some 40 degrees — ago.

But Skyline wide receiver Kenyon Sadiq is a difference-maker, as witness the show he put on against Sandpoint on Friday night, as the University of Oregon commit caught five touchdown passes and finished with six catches for 246 yards in a 42-28 win.

ZAGS FANS should be thankful for the new Name, Image and Likeness rules in college athletics.

NLI has helped keep their beloved Drew Timme in Spokane, at least for another year.

In general, the rule has made college basketball better, keeping many players in school who otherwise may have opted to declare for the NBA draft, and may or may not have been drafted, and may or may not have stuck in the league.

(Yes, we’re selfish, as we’ve noted before — we want to see guys stick around as long as possible because we love seeing good college basketball games. But we understand the desire for them to actually make money. Now they can do both.)

And to think Timme, pitchman for Northern Quest Casino and Walker’s Furniture when not working his up-and-under moves for and-ones, could even come back again next year, taking advantage of a COVID year.

No, Timme didn’t arrive at Gonzaga back when Dan Dickau was still running the point in the early 2000s, as national mediaman Pat Forde joked.

It may just seem that long ago.

But he (and the Zags) did miss out on the NCAAs during his actual freshman season in 2020 due to COVID-19. So maybe he figures he deserves another March Madness or two.

FINAL, Montana 63, Eastern Washington 7.

The Eagles (2-8, 1-6 Big Sky), one of the best teams in the FCS for more than a decade, will finish off their first losing season since 2006 next Saturday at home vs. Northern Colorado (3-7, 2-5).

An EWU win would match that 3-8 record in 2006 under Paul Wulff, who was in Year 7 of his eight-year run in Cheney, and was coming off back-to-back playoff appearances.

A loss?

Well, 2-9 would be the Eags’ worst record since 1962, when Eastern finished 0-9-1 in the 10th and final season of Ed Chissus.

Back when Eastern fielded a varsity baseball team, the Eagles played home games at Ed Chissus Field, honoring the man who won nearly 300 games in 26 seasons as Eastern’s baseball coach.

EWU dropped baseball after the 1990 season.

In 1988, EWU finished 2-8-1 under Dick Zornes, who coached the Eagles from 1979-93.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @CdAPressSports.