THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: The long and the short of these Kansas tiebreakers

One lasted five plays. 

Another seemed to go on all night. 

Still another ... memories of that one are kinda fuzzy. 

With Lakeland, Sandpoint and Lewiston scheduled to convene for a Kansas tiebreaker Monday at 6 p.m. at Coeur d’Alene High’s Viking Field, I got to thinking back on former high school football tiebreakers I've witnessed over the years. 

IN 1991, Clark Fork and Mullan tied for the North Star League title, and met for a Kansas tiebreaker at Lakeland High’s Corbit Field in Rathdrum. 

Spectators and bus drivers would have been excused if they’d kept their engines running. 

That year, the tiebreaker started at the 10-yard line. 

Mullan, coached by the legendary John Drager, went first, but lost a fumble on its second play. 

Clark Fork took over, and ran it in for a touchdown on its third play. 

That was it — the Wampus Cats were on to the state playoffs for the first time in program history. 

Mullan’s season was over — after five plays and a 68-mile bus ride from the Silver Valley. 

THREE YEARS earlier, Post Falls, Sandpoint and Moscow met in a Kansas tiebreaker at Coeur d’Alene High. That was back when they were in what was called A-1 Division II (Coeur d’Alene and Lewiston were in A-1 Division I at the time). 

I don’t remember much about that one, other than the coaches were Brad Murray (Post Falls), Mike Hagadone (Sandpoint) and Eric Bjorkman (Moscow). 

Sandpoint was coming off an appearance in the state title game the previous year, and had a talented squad coming back. But the Bulldogs’ season ended in the tiebreaker (as did the Trojans’), as Moscow won. 

Sandpoint would not return to the playoffs again until 1995. 

IN 2002, Coeur d’Alene, Lake City and Sandpoint gathered at Post Falls High to determine the league’s two berths to the state playoffs. 

That one seemed to go on forever. 

By then, each “game” started at the 25. 

A little over one week earlier, Sandpoint had romped to a 38-13 win at Lake City. 

On this night, the three teams slugged it out. Coeur d’Alene had a chance to advance, but missed a field goal. 

Lake City eventually beat Sandpoint, which was big, as it turned out. 

While Lake City was at home for its playoff opener four days later, Sandpoint traveled 529 miles to Mountain Home. The Bulldogs won, but admittedly had little left in the gas tank the following week, when Sandpoint lost 28-14 at Lake City in a semifinal game. The Timberwolves went on to win their first state title the following week. 

MOST RECENTLY, in 2021, Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls and Lewiston met at Moscow High’s Bear Field.  

Coeur d’Alene and Lewiston were already in the playoffs based on record, as the league got two automatic berths to state; Post Falls needed to finish second to earn an at-large bid. 

But Post Falls lost to Lewiston and then to Coeur d’Alene to see its season end; it was the only time during an eight-year stretch from 2017-24 that the Trojans would miss the playoffs. 

Coeur d’Alene defeated Lewiston two “games” to one to earn the top seed from the league, and a bye in the first round. Lewiston played at home in the first round four days later. 

That first-round bye (in the state playoffs) is pretty big,” Coeur d’Alene coach Shawn Amos said. “At this point of the season, everybody is banged up. A week off is helpful.” 

ON MONDAY, even though Lakeland, Sandpoint and Lewiston are all assured of being in the field for the 16-team state playoffs, the Kansas tiebreaker is huge. 

The winner earns the 5A Inland Empire League’s automatic berth to state, and will host a first-round playoff game next weekend. 

The other two teams will travel in the first round, and possibly have to travel for each round after that. 

One thing’s for sure — this one won’t be over after five plays. 

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 1205, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @CdAPressSports.