STATE HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER TOURNAMENTS: A familiar feeling as area schools open at state

By JASON ELLIOTT 

Sports writer 

6A GIRLS 

Any other year, Lake City's 13-1-1 record in 2025 was good enough to make it into the field for the state soccer tournament. 

The only problem was that loss came in a state play-in match to Eagle High, keeping the Timberwolves at home. 

This year, the T-Wolves aren't coming alone from District 1. 

Lake City, seeded second in this week's state tournament, faces seventh-seeded Eagle in the opening match at 8 a.m. PDT at Bonneville High in Idaho Falls. Coeur d'Alene, making its first trip to state since 2019, is seeded fifth and faces fourth-seeded Middleton at noon. 

Lake City seniors Riley Brazle (NAIA College of Idaho in Caldwell), Chloe Burkholder (Eastern Illinois), Savvy Spencer (Division II Western Oregon in Monmouth), Addyson Kerley (Division II Cal Poly-Humboldt) and junior Ava Roberts (Northern Arizona) will continue their playing careers at the next level. 

Coeur d'Alene went 0-2 vs. Timberline and Rocky Mountain, but took two matches from Lake City during the season. 

"Playing the No. 1 team in the state (Timberline), and only allowing six shots on goal, it gave us some confidence," Coeur d'Alene coach Andy Vredenburg said. "It really showed us where we're at and what we can do. We're feeling confident going into this weekend." 

Lake City has called upon some of its JV team to fill spots as the team has been hit by injuries. 

"Our JV program has some very talented and competitive players," Ruchti said. "They train with us every day. Many of them were pulled up for state, and six or seven of them will letter this season for us." 

This season, Lake City defeated Owyhee of Nampa and Rocky Mountain of Meridian in August. The Timberwolves fell to Timberline of Boise at home on Aug. 28. 

"I think it was beneficial," Ruchti said. "Those teams play many similar styles, with handfuls of college commits. Those were some of our most competitive games all season." 

Coeur d'Alene beat Madison of Rexburg in a state play-in match to advance. 

"It was a tough battle for us going on a seven-hour bus ride," Vredenburg said. "Playing away, it was a good experience for what to expect. Anything can happen at state, and we're ready for it." 

Ranked fifth, Vredenburg feels his team is ready for the moment. 

"We feel like we're one of the top teams in the state," Vredenburg said. "If we go down there with the right mindset, we feel like we've got a good chance. If we can continue to defend well and finish our chances, we can go far in the tournament." 

Timberline is the defending champion and opens with Highland of Pocatello. 

6A BOYS 

From home wins over Timberline and Rocky Mountain, to a 1-0 decision in the 6A District 1 championship match, Coeur d'Alene has earned each and every thing it has taken from a 13-0-1 record and top-seed in this week's state tournament starting today at Hillcrest High in Ammon. 

Coeur d’Alene, which opens against eighth-seeded Highland of Pocatello at 2 p.m. PDT, has outscored its opponents 90-7 this season. 

"I am beyond proud of what we accomplished here and securing the first seed for the first time in program history, don't get me wrong," Coeur d'Alene coach Robbie Harmelink said. "However, in the end, the only benefit is the later kickoff time. Every team that is there in the tournament is there because they earned it. Every game is going to be a battle. Our goal at the beginning of the season was to be competing for the state title, and that is what we are going to do, whether we're the No. 1 seed or not." 

Coeur d'Alene last advanced to the title match in 2016, when the Vikings fell to Boise High 3-1 at Coeur d'Alene High. 

Timberline, the fourth seed, faces fifth-seeded Rocky Mountain just before the Vikings' match. 

"Playing the final match of the day is a good and a bad thing," Harmelink said. "Good because it allows for adequate time for my players to rest, especially after a long drive down the day before. It's bad because I, like my players, will be itching to get going around 10 or 11 a.m. It will be a game of managing energy on that Thursday, but I know my boys have been in high pressure, hurry up and wait situations before." 

Coeur d'Alene has won nine games by shutout this season. 

"We are a program that prides itself on being possession-based soccer and we are not going to change that for any opponent," Harmelink said. "We may need to tweak how we build up or how we position ourselves, but we are not going to stop wanting the ball at our feet and allow the talent that my boys have to do the talking on the field. Our goal is always have another team change things up style of play wise when the come to play us. Make them adapt." 

Caldwell, which claimed the 6A title last year, moved down to the 5A classification. 

"We have had this saying since maybe the very end of the regular season and that is "Job's not finished,'" Harmelink said. "This has been a constant reminder that, yeah, we have done some cool and unprecedented things. But the job we set out at the beginning of the season is not over. We cannot be complacent going into probably the toughest stretch of our season. We know that we are going to have to earn every win down there." 

4A BOYS 

When Coeur d'Alene Charter (14-2-1), seeded third, steps on the field today to face sixth-seeded McCall-Donnelly (12-5-1) in the opening round of the state 4A tournament at Burley High, the Panthers will be playing for the first time since Oct. 10, when the Panthers beat Bonners Ferry in the District 1-2 championship match at The Fields in Post Falls. 

"We've needed the rest," Coeur d'Alene Charter coach Craig Daigle said. "We're battling a couple odd injuries to key players. Hopefully they'll be ready for Thursday. This extra week has also given the boys the chance to catch up on schoolwork, which is the most important thing at Charter." 

Coeur d'Alene Charter beat McCall-Donnelly 1-0 for the program's first state title last year at Meridian High. 

"I don't think last year matters one bit," Daigle said. "Most of the southern schools still have no idea where Coeur d'Alene is, let alone what our tiny school his done. It's business as usual. We haven't proven anything this year. We're the hunters, not the hunted." 

Coeur d'Alene Charter played to a 2-2 draw with Sugar-Salem on Sept. 18 at the HUB Sports Center in Liberty Lake. Bonners Ferry, the District 1-2 runner-up, lost to the Diggers 2-0 in a state play-in match last Saturday. 

"It was a great opportunity, playing Sugar," Daigle said. "They're a fantastic team. But only McCall-Donnelly matters right now. We'll have to put together a complete game to compete with McCall-Donnelly." 

4A GIRLS

Timberlake (15-2-2), seeded seventh, is at state today at Twin Falls High after winning the program's first district title since 2015, beating Coeur d'Alene Charter 8-7 in a penalty kick shootout on Oct. 10.

The Tigers of Spirit Lake open today against second-seeded Fruitland (15-0-3) in the first match of the day at 8 a.m. PDT.

Sugar-Salem (15-1-2), the tournament's top seed, opens against eighth-seeded Preston (13-5-2).

The Diggers of Sugar City beat Timberlake 8-0 on Sept. 19 in Spirit Lake.

5A GIRLS

Moscow (10-4-1), seeded fifth, opens defense of its title against fourth-seeded Skyline (14-3-3) of Idaho Falls today at the Field of Dreams complex in Ponderay.

Sandpoint (9-7-1), seeded seventh, advanced by beating Wood River in a play-in match to face second-seeded Hillcrest (17-0-1) of Ammon in the opening round today.

Championship matches are scheduled for Saturday at War Memorial Field in Sandpoint.

5A BOYS

Wood River (16-2-0), seeded second, opens defense of its title today against seventh-seeded Columbia (14-6-2) of Nampa today at the Field of Dreams in Ponderay.

Wood River defeated Sandpoint 3-2 in overtime in a semifinal match last year at state. Sandpoint (14-1-2) is this year's top-seed and will face eighth-seeded Century (9-5-5) of Pocatello in the opening round.