THE FRONT ROW with JASON ELLIOTT: The work really has paid off

So, about those August practices?

Not fun at the time and really hard to see a finish line when it’s smoky and 110 degrees outside at times.

That being said, when things cool down a bit, it’s a lot easier to see the finish.

And celebrate success when you can find it.

GOING INTO the state 6A swim meet last weekend, the seeding had the Coeur d’Alene boys expected to finish fifth, coach Israel Morrow predicted. That is, if seeding held up in each event

Of course, that always doesn’t happen.

“In the 200 (-yard) freestyle relay, I knew if we could keep it close enough, that (anchor) Dawson (Cushman) wasn’t going to be beat,” said Morrow, whose team of seniors Andrew Davis, Jace Voeller, Owen Keith and Cushman won the event in 1 minute, 28.78 seconds. “When that one went our way, the odds tilted heavily into our favor for Dawson’s next two races.”

Cushman claimed the 100 breaststroke, then closed out the meet with a title in the 400 freestyle relay.

“Dawson’s breaststroke was all about peaking at the right moment,” Morrow said. “He put his chin down and went after it in the final 25 yards. The boys in the 400 relay were not going to be denied. They were defending state champs and as seniors, it was important for them to go out as back-to-back champions.”

Coeur d’Alene finished third as a team in both the boys and girls team standings.

“I know that was important for Dawson and his teammates,” Morrow said. “The old saying, hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. We’ve got both talent and our team has a great work ethic.”

WATCHING AS the teams were selected for the NJCAA men’s soccer championship on Tuesday, you could tell it mattered to those members of the North Idaho College team.

NIC was ranked 10th in the final NJCAA poll of the regular season, released on Oct. 26, just a few days before the Region 18 Championships in Herriman, Utah.

That weekend, NIC fell to Salt Lake 3-1 in the championship game and had to wait to find out if a 16-2-3 was enough.

It was.

But not without some nervous moments in the Lake Coeur d’Alene Room of the Student Union Building on Tuesday afternoon.

Having to wait until the very last selection, the Cardinals finally found out they’d advanced to the tourney in Wichita, Kan., starting Sunday.

Standing nearby, watching and waiting, you could feel the anticipation in the players and coaches as other teams were announced and they had to wait.

No national television bracket breakdowns, or Charles Barkley insight on each team.

Just a bunch of players, waiting patiently to find out if they had another game.

Who knows what will happen next?

If you find yourself curious, NIC is hosting a watch party at Sunset Bowling Center in Coeur d'Alene for the Cardinals' game vs. Tyler (Texas) Junior College on Sunday at 3 p.m.

NIC arrived in Kansas on Thursday and coach Brad Williams said that most teams had arrived before the Federal Aviation Administration placed a nationwide ground stop on all flights on Friday.

The Cardinals could go on a run for the ages.

It seems they’re ready for it right now.

And that’s all you can ask for at this point in the season.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for The Press. He can be reached by telephone at 208-664-8176, Ext. 1206 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on ‘X’, formerly Twitter @JECdAPress.