THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: State tourney berths — so you’re saying there’s a chance ...

Last fall, an improving Post Falls High volleyball team gave a Coeur d’Alene High squad with three college-bound seniors all it could handle in a best-of-3 series for the 6A District 1 championship. 

In the end, Coeur d’Alene prevailed in the third match to win the district title and earn the district’s lone berth to state. 

Post Falls stayed home. 

No state play-in match.  

Nothing. 

Coeur d’Alene won one match and lost two at state, finishing tied for fifth. 

How would Post Falls had done at state? 

We’ll never know.

A BETTER example:  

Perhaps you remember the grueling best-of-3 boys basketball series between Lake City and Post Falls in February for the district title. 

Same scenario — winner to state; loser stays home. 

Lake City, the top seed, was a made free throw away from getting swept, before winning Game 2 in overtime on the road, then finishing off the Trojans less than 48 hours later at home. 

One week later, the Timberwolves were celebrating their second state title in four seasons, this one after a convincing victory over Owyhee of Meridian, winners of three of the last four state titles. 

How would Post Falls had done at state?  

We’ll never know. 

STATE BERTHS in Idaho have largely been determined by mathematics — the more teams in a district, the more state berths. 

In North Idaho, where there are fewer teams in a district, that’s bad news.  

Less state berths. More good teams left home. 

Many times, districts would get an extra, “half” berth to state, meaning, say, the district runner-up would meet a team from another district that also got a “half” berth, with the winner going to state. 

But some times, due to math, there was no half-berth, no play-in game. 

KUDOS TO the Idaho High School Activities Association for not just doing the same thing every year and if you don’t like it ... tough. 

If someone has an idea, the IHSAA will listen. 

In recent years, MaxPreps rankings have been used to seed the state tournaments.  

Before that, matchups were predetermined — champ from one district opens vs. runner-up from another district, and so on. 

In some classifications, that meant two district champions met in the first round — and in some cases, they were the two best teams in the state. 

Using MaxPreps rankings eliminated that. 

Now, in the latest iteration, statewide “at-large” berths have been added to the mix, in determining the eight teams who advance to state.  

Yes, there’s still a few “half” berths in most classifications (still math, you know). 

But now ... 

District champions still earn automatic berths to state. 

After that, then next highest-ranked teams via Max Preps will be seeded into a play-in pool, along with any predetermined half-berths, to meet in state play-in matches. 

There have usually been some state play-in matches in each classification. 

Now, there will be more. 

“Last year, I was in that situation,” said Casey Cornett, a Post Falls volleyball assistant last year, and now the head coach this season. “It was hard to see, we were in the top eight (in MaxPreps) and not in the state tournament. This year, we scheduled with MaxPreps in mind.” 

THE CHANGE in determining the eight state tournament team applies to all team sports except football — volleyball, soccer, basketball, baseball and softball (football has its own format, which involves MaxPreps ranking for some at-large berths, but no, extra, play-in games). 

In 6A volleyball, for example, three at-large teams based on MaxPreps, and the one half-berth team from District 5-6 will be seeded 1-4 for the two play-in matches — No. 4 at No. 1, and No. 3 at No. 2. 

The one caveat — the half-berth team will host its match, no matter where it is seeded. 

And now, there’s a chance, in 6A IEL volleyball for example, for all three teams — Coeur d’Alene, Lake City and Post Falls — to qualify for state. The district champ earns the automatic berth, and the other two teams, if their MaxPreps rankings are good enough, end up in state play-in matches, and win them. 

“I am hopeful there is an advantage to our league being so competitive,” said Lake City coach Michele Kleinberg, whose team has not been to state since 2022. “This is what we’ve wanted forever; now we have an opportunity for all three to go to state. This is something us coaches have pushed for forever.” 

WHAT WOULD happen if all three 6A IEL volleyball teams qualified for state? 

This year, Coeur d’Alene, Lake City and Post Falls high schools are scheduled to host the state 6A, 5A and 4A volleyball tournaments. 

The IHSAA would rather a team not be able to play state on its home court. 

So in the past, whichever of the three 6A IEL teams didn’t qualify for state would host the 6A tournament. The 5A and 4A tourneys would be divvied up among the other two schools. 

But if all three qualify for state? 

The IHSAA would determine where the 6A tourney was played.  

Mike Federico, assistant director of the IHSAA, said one option would be to play the 6A tourney in the gym with the most seating of the three — which would be The Arena at Post Falls. 

AND IF you’re wondering ... 

In 6A basketball, there are three at-large berths statewide, and one half-berth for District 5-6. 

So in that scenario, the Post Falls boys would have had a chance to make it to state through the play-in route. 

Not that that helps the Trojans feel any better now, but ... 

In any event, that has long been the mantra of the North — “Just give us a chance.” 

Now, the North is getting a chance — more accurately, more of a chance. 

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.