THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: Weathering another high school sports year in Idaho

If you’re a Sandpoint High fan, and not in Idaho Falls the past few days, I’m sure you enjoyed being able to watch your beloved Bulldogs play for a state baseball championship from the comfort of the internet. 

Ditto if you didn’t head down to the Boise area to watch the state high school track and field meets, but still had someone you wanted to see compete. 

Back in the day, when North Idaho teams headed to, say, Boise for a few games, it could be days before the general public found out how the games went. 

There was no internet then (What??? No way!). 

Maybe someone from “Down South” would call the school after a game, or the next morning, and some news would filter out. 

We’ve said this before, but we’re blessed — and thankful — to be able to watch our local high school teams on the NFHS Network, and IdahoSports.com, and schools’ HUDL or YouTube channels.  

That might have been the only good thing to come out of COVID-19 — the popularity of Pixellot cameras.  

Sure, sometimes the camera is attracted to some random movement at the other end of the floor, or a fixed camera doesn’t quite catch the fly ball sailing over the left field fence, but still, it’s way better than not being able to see it at all. 

I’M WATCHING the NFHS Network webcast of state 6A softball from Coeur d’Alene High’s Larry Schwenke Field as I type this. 

I was there in person the first two days. 

The only thing missing was snow. I was told it hailed one of the days. 

I’m glad I missed that. 

Folks were bundled up in overcoats — and those were the coaches. 

I’d opted not to put on a third layer one morning, and paid for it when the wind kicked up.  

(A wiener dog puppy was sniffing around nearby, so that warmed the heart, at least.) 

Even the players had sweatshirts or jackets over their jerseys. That’s fairly common for games in March and April ... but in mid-May? 

C’mon! 

Also makes it more challenging for us media types to describe the action. 

“In the third inning, a kid in a red coat doubled, and scored on a base hit by a kid in a white sweatshirt.” 

Hey, I don’t blame ‘em. It was COLD out there this weekend. 

THAT’S ALWAYS the danger when they award spring sports state tournaments to North Idaho — said events could be impacted by weather. 

(This just in: It also rains in Boise and in eastern Idaho sometimes in mid-May, so get over it.) 

Thanks to the state softball tournaments being spread out over three days instead of two, the schedule at each site consisted of two games, maybe three, on the final day. 

As it turned out, shortly after 3 p.m. on Saturday at Coeur d’Alene High, after a passing shower and with temperatures in the upper 40s, North Idaho’s role in hosting state softball this year came to an end. 

We got through it. 

If it wanted to pour after that, knock yourself out. 

Kudos to the Kellogg Middle School field being playable on Thursday, when the field at Lakeland High wasn’t. 

And artificial turf fields in Sandpoint and Worley were on retainer, just in case. 

And statewide, with the final out, the final race, the final volley, the final putt, another high school sports season in Idaho is over.  

So take a deep breath, and enjoy the summer. 

Another fall sports season will be here before we know it.

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.