For decades, Lewiston High School has been a school for 10th- through 12th-graders, which meant freshmen could be Jenifer Burros or Sacajawea Braves in some sports — and Bengals in others.

But now that the high school is becoming a four-year school this fall — as it relocates to its brand-new facility — “they’re going to be Bengals from the outset,” athletic director Corey Williams said.

Added Williams, “The head (coaches) of our programs will have access to those kids, so it’ll be more streamlined.”

And not just for the students.

Athletic directors from throughout the Inland Empire League no longer will have to choose between scheduling a game against Jenifer or Sacajawea junior high for their ninth-grade teams. Williams said he’s felt sorry for athletic directors in the IEL, who previously had to schedule events for their freshman teams with as many as three different athletic directors from this area — with two of those being junior high administrators.

“It’s sometimes hard for them to wrap their heads around that we (had) two separate ninth grades,” Williams said. “Some ADs may not have the time or travel budgets to do both.”

Williams said having the ninth-graders under the same roof as the rest of the high school will allow them to be included “in our normal schedule” — and not just for sports. Class schedules will now be aligned for ninth- through 12th-graders.

That’s music to Lewiston tennis coach Sandi Stocks’ ears. The “hardest part” of running her team, she said, has been having to wait for her one or two freshmen who make varsity to arrive at practice, since the junior highs get done later.

How much later?

“The ones at Sac, I’m halfway through practice by the time they make it there,” Stocks said. “So (being on the same class schedule will) be a nice piece of having all of us up at the high school together.”

Facilities

Here’s the good news: All of Lewiston’s indoor sports will immediately begin competing on-campus during the 2020-21 school year. But outdoor sports at the school won’t be so lucky, except for the Bengals’ tennis team. Williams said he’s not sure of the timeline for completing construction on Lewiston’s new combined football and track venue, its soccer pitch or its softball diamond. But within a few years, Williams expects all of Lewiston’s practices and games to be held on-site at the new high school — with one exception. Lewiston’s baseball team will continue to play and practice at Church Field, which is within a short walk of the new school (at 3201 Cecil Andrus Way).

For at least the next school year, Lewiston will continue to play football games at Bengal Field while soccer matches and softball games will respectively take place at Walker Field and Airport Park.

Costs to attend all Bengal games will remain consistent with the going rates in the IEL, Williams said. So will concessions.

“I can tell you, we don’t want to outprice our constituents,” Williams said. “I don’t see much of a change. That’s not the purpose of concessions. They add to our funds, but they also provide a service and make sure people have an atmosphere. Nothing like smelling the popcorn and the hotdogs to make it a game atmosphere.”

Williams said athletic directors in the IEL will continue to coordinate to make sure everyone’s on the same page.

“We try to stay consistent with each other in the IEL, so if I travel to Post Falls for a game, I’m not going to pay $3-4 more (to attend),” Williams said. “We try to be consistent with what we charge, so people know what to expect when they go to venues.”

Williams said the cost this season for home events was typically $5 for adults and $3 for kids and seniors.

Less hoops to jump through

After the Lewiston boys’ basketball team fell in its state play-in game Feb. 29, principal Kevin Driskill did something to cheer up coach Jayson Ulrich the next day. Driskill took Ulrich to the new high school to show him the gym his team will be playing in next season — and the trick worked.

“These kids are going to be pretty spoiled,” Ulrich said. “Walking in there, it’s a whole different world that’s going to be very, very cool.”

In addition to having a main gym, the new high school boasts two auxiliary gyms.

“We’ll have six baskets in the main gym, and then we have another eight upstairs,” Ulrich said. “So the ability to have basically all the boys practice at the same time and the flexibility to bounce around from practice to practice is huge.”

That was never possible at Booth Hall, where there were no auxiliary gyms — which led to later practices for some of the teams. Some practices wrapped up as late as 8:45 p.m.

“That’s not ideal for kids with homework and having to get rides,” Ulrich said. “I think now, our time management can be a lot better to make them better student-athletes.”

At the latest now, Ulrich said, practices should get done by 6:45 p.m.

Keeping up with the Joneses

Lewiston girls’ soccer coach Richard Gayler said eventually having a home pitch at the new high school will be “normalizing,” since all of the Bengals’ league opponents already have on-site pitches.

“It’s just going to be so nice,” Gayler said. “It’s going to be a great culture-building process for us and we’re looking forward to it.”

Edelman may be contacted at bedelman@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2277.