Putting together a team's high school football schedule used to be pretty simple.

The league games were easy - if you played at home this year, you played at their place next year. And teams often played the same nonleague teams each year, so same thing.

There might be a game or two you had to find for whatever reason, but that was about it.

However, for the most part, the job of athletic directors at the local 5A schools of putting a football schedule together these days has become time-consuming and frustrating.

Coeur d'Alene, Lake City and Post Falls were all able to put together nine-game schedules for this fall, but it wasn't easy.

"Basically every year since the Border League ended (after the 2001-02 school year), it's been extremely taxing and aggravating," Lake City athletic director Jim Winger said. "With no Spokane teams, no Boise teams willing to come here, and no Montana teams, it's very arduous to fill nine games."

The good news is, local ADs were able to put together schedules where 5A Inland Empire League teams didn't have to play each other twice during the regular season. Last year, Lake City, Post Falls and Lewiston played each other twice - one a league game, one a nonleague game.

This year, those three teams and Coeur d'Alene will play each other once to determine seeding for the final week of the regular season (the ninth game), where the No. 4 team plays at No. 1, and No. 3 plays at No. 2. The two winners advance to the first round of the state playoffs the following week.

"Actually, the coaches are the ones that brought that idea to us," Coeur d'Alene athletic director Todd Gilkey said. "Basically, the playoffs are starting one week early."

Here's a look at what went into creating each team's schedules:

COEUR d'ALENE, coming off back-to-back state championships, has put together a potential murderer's row of nonleague games.

After opening with a Zero Week game at 4A Skyview of Nampa on Aug. 24, the Vikings play host to West Linn, Ore. (Aug. 31) and Mercer Island, Wash. (Sept. 8), play defending Washington 4A champion Skyline of Sammamish, Wash., on Sept. 15 at the Kibbie Dome, then return home to play host to Idaho power Highland of Pocatello on Sept. 21.

Skyview, which lost in the first round of the state playoffs last year, got the OK from the Idaho High School Activities Association to play a 10th game so Coeur d’Alene could have a nine-game schedule.

West Linn, in Oregon’s largest classification (6A), went 7-3 last year, losing in the first round of the state playoffs. Gilkey said Viking assistant coach Matt House has an acquaintance at West Linn, and they have been trying to schedule a game for years. Coeur d’Alene is scheduled to play at West Linn in 2013.

Coeur d’Alene went online and found that Mercer Island needed a game, and a home-and-home between those two schools was arranged as well. Mercer Island was 8-3 last year, losing in the first round of the state 3A playoffs.

Skyline was supposed to play a team from Florida, but that game fell through. Meanwhile, Coeur d’Alene was scheduled to play in the Idaho Football Classic at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, but didn’t have an opponent. Coeur d’Alene contacted Skyline, and the game was set up.

Highland, which has won nine state titles, lost to Eagle in last year’s state semifinals. The Vikings are scheduled to play at Highland in 2013.

Coeur d’Alene then plays its three 5A IEL games — Oct. 5 at Post Falls, Oct. 12 at Lewiston and Oct. 19 at home vs. Lake City — before its state play-in game Oct. 26.

None of the local 4A schools — Lakeland, Sandpoint and Moscow — are on the Vikings’ schedule this year. Coeur d’Alene and Sandpoint have played annually for as long as anyone can remember. Last year, the Vikings won 88-12 at Sandpoint.

LAKE CITY opens its season this year Aug. 24 at Eagle — the same team that beat the Timberwolves last year in the first round of the state playoffs. Winger said Lake City coach Van Troxel had the choice of playing Eagle or Capital, and chose Eagle.

Like Skyview, Eagle had to get the OK from the IHSAA to play a 10th game to accommodate Lake City. Winger said Eagle will not make the return trip to Lake City in 2013.

With the reshuffling of teams from the old Big 9 Conference, Lake City was able to pick up a home game vs. Kennewick (Aug. 31) and a game at Chiawana of Kennewick (Oct. 12).

Lake City is scheduled to play a team to be announced in the Idaho Football Classic on Sept. 15 at the Kibbie Dome.

Lake City hosts Post Falls (Sept. 21) and Lewiston (Sept. 28) in league play, and is home vs. Sandpoint on Oct. 5.

“I contacted all the Seattle-area schools that were humanly possible,” Winger said. “We only had eight games, so we had to bite the bullet and go down to Boise. It’s not a great schedule at all, but it wasn’t from lack of trying, but we’re at the mercy of everybody else. It is what it is. It seems like Groundhog Day every year when you’re trying to put together a football schedule.”

POST FALLS actually had a fairly easy time putting its schedule together. Graham-Kapowsin High of Graham, Wash., was looking to travel to a team in this area, and make a true road trip out of it — bring the varsity and JV, travel to Silverwood, etc.

Not only that, Graham-Kapowsin, which plays at Post Falls on Aug. 30, wants to come back and play the Trojans in 2013 as well.

Post Falls plays at Sandpoint (Sept. 7), at Lake City (Sept. 21) and at Lakeland (Sept. 28), and plays host to East Valley (Sept. 14), Coeur d’Alene (Oct. 5) and Lewiston (Oct. 19). The Trojans also picked up an old Big 9 team, traveling to Richland (Wash.) on Oct. 12.

“It worked out really well for us,” Post Falls athletic director Craig Christensen said. “We don’t have to go to Seattle one year, or Boise one year.”

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