THE FRONT ROW WITH MARK NELKE: Thursday, October 8, 2015
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 10 years, 2 months AGO
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October 7, 2015 8:06 PM
The Intermountain League, a 3A league which has gotten smaller over the past decade or so with the loss of Moscow and Lakeland to 4A, and St. Maries and Orofino to 2A, is about to get bigger.
Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy’s petition to move up to 3A from 2A in the fall of 2016 was approved by the Idaho High School Activities Association Board of Control at its meeting last month in Boise.
Charter, the fourth-largest school in 2A last year (with an average of 283 students in the two reporting periods used to determine classification), will join Timberlake (509), Bonners Ferry (458.5), Priest River (370.5) and Kellogg (363.5) in the IML.
Charter, the fourth-largest school in 2A last year (with an average of 283 students in the two reporting periods used to determine classification), will join Timberlake (509), Bonners Ferry (458.5), Priest River (370.5) and Kellogg (363.5) in the IML.
The 3A classification is for schools with enrollments between 320-639 students.
Coeur d’Alene Charter moved up to 2A from 1A Division I in the fall of 2008.
“We intend to join the IML starting in the fall of 2016 and look forward to the opportunity,” Charter athletic director Brett DePew said.
TIMBERLAKE HAS been a member of the IML since its doors opened in fall 1998.
“It will be nice to see our league get bigger,” Timberlake athletic director Tim Cronnelly said.
In an advisory vote, 3A superintendents voted 7-6 to approve Charter’s move upward. The Lakeland School District (which includes Lakeland and Timberlake high schools) superintendent’s vote was in favor, Cronnelly said. The IHSAA board then voted 13-0 to approve Charter’s move up to 3A.
“Charter competes in the IML for girls soccer and has been state champs, so we know they are competitive there,” Cronnelly said. “IML schools compete with them in track and cross country throughout the season and they more than hold their own. Doug Grant has worked very hard in building their girls basketball program, he knows the IML very well, so they will be ready. It appears that volleyball and boys basketball are on the upswing, so overall I think they will fit in nicely from a competitive standpoint.”
One stumbling block is
see NELKE, B4
see Charter’s lack of sub-varsity (JV and freshman) teams. Charter offers JV teams in boys basketball, boys and girls tennis, boys and girls cross country and boys and girls track and field, but does not in girls soccer, volleyball and girls basketball, so other IML ADs may have to get creative in filling their sub-varsity schedules. The Panthers do not offer other varsity sports, such as boys soccer, football, wrestling, baseball or softball.
With the new league, and with closer opponents mileage-wise, DePew is hopeful interest in the volleyball and girls basketball programs will increase to the point where the school can add JV teams.
“A big plus for the league getting larger is state representation,” Cronnelly said. “It looks like we can eliminate play-in games for volleyball, and boys and girls basketball. This will give our top two teams a berth at state as well as allow to move the championship games off weekdays, increasing our attendance.
“We could receive another berth in track in individual events and relays … which will most likely be gobbled up by Charter kids,” he added with a laugh.
OF COURSE, one league’s gain is usually another league’s loss.
Charter cited travel costs as a big reason behind the move. In the 2A Central Idaho League, Charter faced road trips to Grangeville (186 miles away), Orofino (135 miles) and St. Maries (56 miles).
In the IML, their road trips would range from 25 miles (Timberlake) to 74 miles (Bonners Ferry).
Charter’s departure will leave the Central Idaho League with three members in all sports -- St. Maries, Grangeville and Orofino.
St. Maries athletic director Todd Gilkey spent the last eight years in a similar position at Coeur d’Alene High, which is part of the four-team Inland Empire League, and whose teams often competed against a three-team league in the 4A IEL -- Lakeland, Moscow and Sandpoint.
ADs in the 4A IEL have tweaked their state-qualifying tournament formats over the years, searching for one that everyone was happy with. In volleyball and boys and girls basketball, they tried true double-elimination, which could make for several trips from Sandpoint to Moscow in a short amount of time. The soccer tourneys are single-elimination (No. 3 seed at No. 2 seed, winner at No. 1 seed for a trip to state), and the past two years, they used that format for boys and girls basketball, at a central site (North Idaho College).
“The last eight years I watched what Moscow, Sandpoint and Lakeland tried to do with a three-team league,” Gilkey said. “I’m thinking about what Grangeville and Orofino and St. Maries can come up with. For eight years Moscow, Sandpoint and Lakeland tried to come up with a district tournament format (that everyone was happy with), and I don’t know if they ever did.”
After years in 3A, St. Maries dropped down to 2A in the fall of 2012. Before taking the Coeur d’Alene job, Gilkey worked the previous 15 years at St. Maries — the last eight as athletic director.
Wallace, just a few students over the limit for 2A, successfully petitioned to stay in 1A Division I. Lakeside, just a few students over the limit in 1A Division II, successfully petitioned to remain in 1A Division II.
Gilkey said he wouldn’t have minded another District 1 team in the CIL, but completely understands why Wallace would want to stay in 1A Division I.
“I don’t blame ‘em,” he said.
Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter@CdAPressSports.
Coeur d’Alene Charter moved up to 2A from 1A Division I in the fall of 2008.
“We intend to join the IML starting in the fall of 2016 and look forward to the opportunity,” Charter athletic director Brett DePew said.
TIMBERLAKE HAS been a member of the IML since its doors opened in fall 1998.
“It will be nice to see our league get bigger,” Timberlake athletic director Tim Cronnelly said.
In an advisory vote, 3A superintendents voted 7-6 to approve Charter’s move upward. The Lakeland School District (which includes Lakeland and Timberlake high schools) superintendent’s vote was in favor, Cronnelly said. The IHSAA board then voted 13-0 to approve Charter’s move up to 3A.
“Charter competes in the IML for girls soccer and has been state champs, so we know they are competitive there,” Cronnelly said. “IML schools compete with them in track and cross country throughout the season and they more than hold their own. Doug Grant has worked very hard in building their girls basketball program, he knows the IML very well, so they will be ready. It appears that volleyball and boys basketball are on the upswing, so overall I think they will fit in nicely from a competitive standpoint.”
One stumbling block is
see NELKE, B4
see Charter’s lack of sub-varsity (JV and freshman) teams. Charter offers JV teams in boys basketball, boys and girls tennis, boys and girls cross country and boys and girls track and field, but does not in girls soccer, volleyball and girls basketball, so other IML ADs may have to get creative in filling their sub-varsity schedules. The Panthers do not offer other varsity sports, such as boys soccer, football, wrestling, baseball or softball.
With the new league, and with closer opponents mileage-wise, DePew is hopeful interest in the volleyball and girls basketball programs will increase to the point where the school can add JV teams.
“A big plus for the league getting larger is state representation,” Cronnelly said. “It looks like we can eliminate play-in games for volleyball, and boys and girls basketball. This will give our top two teams a berth at state as well as allow to move the championship games off weekdays, increasing our attendance.
“We could receive another berth in track in individual events and relays … which will most likely be gobbled up by Charter kids,” he added with a laugh.
OF COURSE, one league’s gain is usually another league’s loss.
Charter cited travel costs as a big reason behind the move. In the 2A Central Idaho League, Charter faced road trips to Grangeville (186 miles away), Orofino (135 miles) and St. Maries (56 miles).
In the IML, their road trips would range from 25 miles (Timberlake) to 74 miles (Bonners Ferry).
Charter’s departure will leave the Central Idaho League with three members in all sports -- St. Maries, Grangeville and Orofino.
St. Maries athletic director Todd Gilkey spent the last eight years in a similar position at Coeur d’Alene High, which is part of the four-team Inland Empire League, and whose teams often competed against a three-team league in the 4A IEL -- Lakeland, Moscow and Sandpoint.
ADs in the 4A IEL have tweaked their state-qualifying tournament formats over the years, searching for one that everyone was happy with. In volleyball and boys and girls basketball, they tried true double-elimination, which could make for several trips from Sandpoint to Moscow in a short amount of time. The soccer tourneys are single-elimination (No. 3 seed at No. 2 seed, winner at No. 1 seed for a trip to state), and the past two years, they used that format for boys and girls basketball, at a central site (North Idaho College).
“The last eight years I watched what Moscow, Sandpoint and Lakeland tried to do with a three-team league,” Gilkey said. “I’m thinking about what Grangeville and Orofino and St. Maries can come up with. For eight years Moscow, Sandpoint and Lakeland tried to come up with a district tournament format (that everyone was happy with), and I don’t know if they ever did.”
After years in 3A, St. Maries dropped down to 2A in the fall of 2012. Before taking the Coeur d’Alene job, Gilkey worked the previous 15 years at St. Maries — the last eight as athletic director.
Wallace, just a few students over the limit for 2A, successfully petitioned to stay in 1A Division I. Lakeside, just a few students over the limit in 1A Division II, successfully petitioned to remain in 1A Division II.
Gilkey said he wouldn’t have minded another District 1 team in the CIL, but completely understands why Wallace would want to stay in 1A Division I.
“I don’t blame ‘em,” he said.
Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter@CdAPressSports.