North Idaho Sports Banquet set tonight

COEUR d'ALENE - North Idaho's top athletes, coaches and teams will be honored tonight at the 49th annual North Idaho Sports Banquet at the Best Western Coeur d'Alene Inn.

Social hour is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30.

Six people will be inducted into the Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame - Jake Plummer, former Capital High, Arizona State and NFL quarterback who summered in Coeur d'Alene as a youth, and now lives in retirement in Sandpoint; Ian Waltz, a former Post Falls High and Washington State standout, and a two-time U.S. Olympian in the discus; Jeff Robinson, the University of Idaho's all-time sack leader who went on to carve out a successful career in the NFL as a long snapper; Irene Matlock, who coached Sandpoint High to four state volleyball titles in four seasons in the 1980s, before going on to a distinguished career as volleyball coach at Community Colleges of Spokane; Ray Faraca, former two-way starter for the Idaho football team, and former Kellogg High football coach; and Ed Cheff, coach and architect of the powerhouse Lewis-Clark State College baseball program, who recently retired.

Also, the 1984 Sandpoint High volleyball team, coached by Matlock, will be honored as this year's Legends team.

Top high school athletes in each sport will also be honored.

Tickets, at $25 for adults and $15 for students, are available at area Les Schwab Tire Centers and the Coeur d'Alene Inn.