By MARK NELKE

Sports editor

The biggest school portion of the Inland Empire League will get even smaller next year — at least in soccer.

Citing lack of success on the field, Post Falls High successfully petitioned down to 5A from the new 6A classification in boys and girls soccer, effective the next two-year classification cycle, which begins in fall 2024.

Petitions for schools statewide to move up or down a classification in a single sport — or as an entire athletic program — were ruled on Tuesday at an Idaho High School Activities Association board meeting in Pocatello.

That will leave Coeur d’Alene and Lake City as the only two 6A boys and girls soccer teams in the IEL for the next two years, which could be an issue when determining state berths from each district.

Depending on the division, a two-team district could get one berth to state — or maybe just a half, where the winner has to go the play-in game route.

The Idaho High School Activities Association changed the names of the divisions effective next year, and teams that were in 5A are now in 6A.

However, Lewiston, a 5A team for years, will not be 6A next year, leaving the 6A IEL with just three teams in most sports. Thanks to the new classification enrollment numbers, the Bengals will “drop” from the old 5A to the new 5A next year, joining Sandpoint, Moscow and Lakeland in a four-team league.

Except for football, where Moscow successfully petitioned to move down in football only from 5A to 4A.

That’s good news for Timberlake and Bonners Ferry, and will mean three football-playing members of the Intermountain League.

Wallace also successfully petitioned down in football from 2A to 1A, where the Miners will be in the same league with Mullan/St. Regis and Kootenai, which recently canceled the remainder of its football season due to a shortage of numbers.

Wallace and Lakeside successfully petitioned down to play football in 1A Division II this year, though those schools are in 1A Division I in all other sports.

Lakeside, however, will remain in 2A (the old 1A Division I) in all sports.

Clark Fork also opted not to try to petition down, and will jump from 1A (the old 1A Division II) to 2A in all sports.

Also Tuesday, Coeur d’Alene Charter successfully petitioned up from 3A to 4A. Charter has had 2A enrollment numbers for years, but has played up to the 3A level for years, citing less travel to the other schools in the Intermountain League.