Winger: It’s likely 5A IEL teams will play each other twice in football — if anybody plays

After many high school athletic directors learned earlier this week that two scheduled opponents would be unable to play them this season, 5A and 4A ADs from the Inland Empire League left a virtual meeting Friday with one assignment:

Find out who else on their football schedules will or won’t be able to play them this season.

With the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association pushing back the start of fall sports practice to Sept. 5 for football (and Sept. 7 for all other sports) due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that meant the earliest Washington high schools could play football games was Friday, Sept. 18.

That move wiped out the first two weeks of games. The problem is, many North Idaho schools are scheduled to play those Washington schools during those first two weeks (Sept. 4 and Sept. 11) of the season.

Now, North Idaho schools are in scramble mode.

“We had it all mapped out,” Lake City High athletic director Jim Winger said, noting the difficulties of putting a football schedule together. “Well, that maybe wasn’t the year to have all those Washington schools on our schedule.”

Football in Idaho starts one week earlier than in Washington, and most Idaho teams open on Aug. 28 (Coeur d’Alene opens on Aug. 21).

The next two weeks, North Idaho teams often face Greater Spokane League schools, before the GSL heads into league play in its third week of play.

Coeur d’Alene (5A) was scheduled to play Mt. Spokane (of the GSL) on Sept. 4 at Whitworth, and play host to Gonzaga Prep (GSL) on Sept. 11.

Lake City (5A) was slated to face Lewis and Clark (GSL) at Albi Stadium on Sept. 4, and play host to Ferris (GSL) on Sept. 11.

Post Falls (5A) is scheduled to play host to Rigby of eastern Idaho on Sept. 4, and travel to University (GSL) on Sept. 11.

Lakeland (4A) is slated to host Columbia of Nampa on Sept. 4, and play at West Valley (GSL) on Sept. 11.

Winger said IEL athletic directors are schedule to meet again next Thursday — in person — to hammer out some scheduling ideas for all fall sports, but tackling football first.

He said a few scheduling ideas could be on the table — starting on schedule on Aug. 28, or starting a week later, or two weeks later ...

Regardless of the scenario, the IEL teams could have to play each other more than once this season, just to fill a schedule. The 5A IEL has done that in the past, on occasion.

It’s not ideal, but neither is a schedule loaded with byes.

“If I was to look in a crystal ball, I would assume we more than likely will be playing each other twice,” Winger said.

Still to be determined is Idaho’s plan to return to sports in the fall, scheduled to be released to schools by the Idaho High School Activities Association the week of July 20.

And Winger’s not convinced Washington schools will be ready to play by mid-September, even with the two-week delay.

Coeur d’Alene also has games with Washington schools on Sept. 18 and 25 — vs. North Creek of Bothell, and at Union of Camas, Wash.

Lake City is scheduled to play at Moses Lake on Sept. 18 and at Camas on Sept. 25.

Post Falls is slated to host Eastmont of East Wenatchee on Sept. 18, and host Pasco on Oct. 2.

Most North Idaho volleyball and soccer teams have a few games scheduled vs. Washington schools.

But one thing that will help this year, in volleyball and soccer — the IEL voted last fall that for the 2020-21 school year, 5A and 4A teams would play each other twice in those sports (as well as in basketball, softball and baseball). In recent years, not all 5A teams have played the 4As twice, and vice versa.

So that’s a few more scheduled games.

For now. There’s no guarantee Idaho schools will start on time either.

But if they do, IEL ADs will have each other’s back.

“One thing that makes me feel pretty good about it ... we’ve vowed to do whatever we could to help each other out and take care of our league,” said Winger of scheduling. “We’ve had to do that quite often over the years.”

The WIAA’s decision has also affected some of the smaller schools in North Idaho.

St. Maries (2A) lost its Sept. 4 game at Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls, Wash. But St. Maries athletic director Todd Gilkey was able to fill that spot with a game at Moscow, which lost its scheduled game with Pullman on that date.

St. Maries is still trying to find an opponent for Sept. 11, when the Lumberjacks were scheduled to visit Freeman (Wash.). Gilkey, whose team already is scheduled to play two of the three teams in the 4A IEL (Lakeland and now Moscow), said he would consider playing Sandpoint, the third 4A IEL team, or a 5A junior varsity squad.

Timberlake has an open date Sept. 4, when the Lethbridge (Alberta) Collegiate Institute had to cancel because of travel restrictions due to the coronavirus. The Tigers are scheduled to play at Connell (Wash.) on Sept. 18.

Timberlake AD Tim Cronnelly said he is waiting to see what might be available from IEL teams. The Tigers are already scheduled to play Moscow and Lakeland from the 4A IEL.