THE FRONT ROW with JASON ELLIOTT: Sometimes the start makes you think

You can’t help but be a little curious as the start of fall sports practices begin for area high schools next week.

Sure, there’s still a few weeks left for them to be kids — and the coaches to not be caught up watching game film — but let’s face it.

The work begins Monday.

PRACTICES FOR all area schools can officially begin on Monday morning.

And it just makes you wonder …

Will anyone catch the Coeur d’Alene boys cross country program this year?

Sure, the Vikings graduated a couple of seniors off last year’s state 5A championship at the Portneuf Wellness Complex in Pocatello.

Gone are state medalists Jacob King (eighth) and Lachlan May (11th), but four others who also were medalists — the top-20 finishers — return.

Rising senior Max Cervi-Skinner (sixth), junior Mitchell Rietze (10th) and senior Zack Cervi-Skinner (16th) look to improve on their finish from last year.

If that’s possible.

It’s no secret, this team is good.

Two others, Wyatt Carr and Kyle Rohlinger, finished 24th and 31st, respectively, at state last year.

Doing all that while running as temperatures dipped below 30 degrees on the day of the race is impressive.

Seeing just what this group can do for an encore might be something to watch in the coming weeks and months.

Timberlake’s boys finished third last year with a fairly young group of runners and had another athlete, Vanessa McLachlan, finish third in her first state meet.

Who knows, maybe this area could be good enough for more than one state champion?

THERE MUST be an unwritten rule somewhere that if you attend Lake City High, and want to be a part of the swim team, you better get used to being in some pretty big events.

The Timberwolves are seeking a fourth straight state girls title this year.

In previous years, the state meet had been dominated by those in the Boise area. Whether it be because of more qualifiers from regionals or the strength of those programs, it could lead to a numbers game when it comes to a state title.

Fortunately for swimming, only the results from the finals are calculated into the team scoring unlike in wrestling, where all rounds are taken into account and some teams can run away with a state title following a solid opening round.

THIS FALL, the state 4A soccer tournaments — previously 3A before the new classification numbers took effect starting with the 2024-25 school year — return to The Fields at Real Life in Post Falls for the first time since 2020.

In case you forgot just how crazy those tournaments were, consider the Coeur d’Alene Charter boys had to play a semifinal game on Saturday morning, then a third-place match later on Saturday after a match was snowed out due to an October snowstorm.

That year, Lake City’s girls didn’t even get the opportunity to play a consolation championship game due to the 5A tournament being called off and completed a few days later in the Treasure Valley.

And who knows, maybe it’s a good sign that the tournament is back in the area again.

The Coeur d’Alene Charter girls’ last of five straight then-3A titles came on that field on a cold night against Sugar-Salem.

It could be nothing.

But it makes you wonder.

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 ‘X’, formerly Twitter @JECdAPress.