I'm live at Holt Arena in Pocatello, bringing you all the action from two football state championship games today. Our first game will kick off in about 20 minutes, when the Parma Panthers and Declo Hornets will battle for the 2A crown. It's a rematch of last year's championship game, a 29-28 overtime thriller won by Parma. With both teams bringing undefeated records into the game, this...read more

5A Pts.

1. Coeur d'Alene (6) 1-0 38

2. Boise 1-0 24

3. Centennial (2) 3-0 23

4. Lake City 2-0 12

5. (tie) Highland 0-0 5

Madison 0-1 5

Lewiston 0-1 5

Vallivue 1-1 5

Others receiving votes: Capital 2, Meridian 1

4A

1. Bonneville (8) 1-0 40

2. Middleton 2-0 27

3. Jerome 1-1 25

4. Lakeland ...read more

Vallivue quarterback JJ Hyde is one of six 5A South Idaho Conference quarterbacks selected for next week's Idaho District III 11-man East/West Shrine Game. Hyde will join Eagle's Taylor Kelly and Meridian's Kevin Hallock for the West squad, while Rocky Mountain's Tevin Archuleta and Jeremy Powers will play for the East. Boise quarterback Steve Laurino was also selected for the East...read more

Friday's 2A football semifinal game between Parma and Glenns Ferry has been moved from Holt Arena in Pocatello to Glenns Ferry High School. Game time has also been switched from 8:45 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The date of the other 2A semifinal game, New Plymouth against Declo, has also been moved from Friday at 7 p.m. to Saturday at 1 p.m. The game will still be at New Plymouth High School. The winner of...read more

Greetings from the press box at Twin Falls High School. Actually, greetings from the top of the press box and Twin Falls High School.

There wasn't enough room in the press box for me to set up, so they found room up where the teams film the game. I could be wrong, but I think we're breaking new ground here.

Anyways, we're about 12 minutes from kickoff for this 4A state quarterfinal matchup...read more

Just wanted to pass along a couple of stories from the Times-News in Twin Falls on opponents of local teams in this weekend's state quarterfinals.

The first is on Nampa's opponent in the 4A quarterfinals, Twin Falls. The Bruins haven't made it this far, since winning the 5A state championship in 2004. A new frontier

The second story is on Oakley, who will host Notus in the 1A Division...read more

If the Parma volleyball team makes it to the state tournament next year, they won't be the two-time defending champions of the tournament they are playing in.

The Panthers have won the last two 2A state championships, but when the Idaho State High School Activities Association's school classifications are redefined, Parma will be moving up to 3A, where they will be the smallest school in...read more

Girls 5k Run CC 2A

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Name Year School Finals Points

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1 Natalie Evans 12 New Plymouth 19:56.41 1

2 Carly Hansen 9 Butte County 20:07.65 2

3 Bailee Siepert 12 Soda Springs ...read more

The Nampa Christian volleyball team advanced to today's 2A state championship game with a 20-25, 27-25, 18-25, 25-17, 15-12 win against Parma earlier today. The Trojans will play either Parma, Soda Springs, or Butte County, all teams Nampa Christian has already beaten in the double-elimination tournament.

The Trojans need to win one of two matches to be crowned champions. The first match is scheduled...read more

The Middleton football team will get a chance to avenge one of its two losses next weekend when the Vikings (7-2) travel to Sandpoint (7-2) for a first round game.

Back in week two, the Vikings suffered their first loss of the season, falling to the Bulldogs 36-14.

"They're an extremely talented football team, and we'll have to play better than we did last time," coach Bill Brock...read more

Idaho High School Football Media Poll

Week 9 (Final poll)

Records as of Oct. 24

Class 5A

1. Capital (9) 8-0 49

2. Highland (1) 7-1 38

3. Eagle 7-1 32

4. Mountain View 6-2 16

5. Centennial 6-2 7

Others receiving votes: Vallivue 5, Coeur d'Alene 3

Class 4A

1. Hillcrest (9) 7-1 49

2. Blackfoot 7-1 34

3. Bishop Kelly (1) 7-1 ...read more

So here's what we know in the 4A Southern Idaho Conference Playoff picture so far: Bishop Kelly will be the No. 1 seed in the state tournament.

And entering the last week of the season, that's all we know. The second and third spots are both up for grabs with Middleton (6-2 overall, 5-1 conference), Nampa (5-3, 4-2), Skyview (4-4, 4-2) and Columbia (4-4, 3-3) all hoping to grab one of those...read more

5A

At Lake City School

Friday

Match 1: Eagle vs. Madison, 8:30 a.m.

Match 2: Post Falls vs. Centennial, 10 a.m.

Match 3: Idaho Falls vs. Borah, 11:30 a.m.

Match 4: Lewiston vs. Rocky Mountain, 1 p.m

Match 5: Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2, 3:30 p.m.

Match 6: Loser Match 1 vs. Loser Match 2, 5:15 p.m. (loser out)

Match 7: Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4, 6:45 p.m.

Match 8: Loser...read more

If you look at this week's high school media polls, you'll notice that both Nampa and Middleton have returned to the top 5 in the 4A. Both teams are tied at No. 5 this week, with four votes apiece. Along with Bishop Kelly, which is ranked at No. 3, that makes three teams from the 4A SIC who are currently ranked.

For the Bulldogs, it's the first time since week four that they cracked the...read more

Records as of Oct. 20

Teams (First) Rec. Pts.

Class 5A

1. Capital (10) 7-0 45

2. Highland 6-1 35

3. Eagle 6-1 25

4. Coeur d'Alene 6-1 15

5. Centennial 5-2 10

Others receiving votes: Mountain View 3, Skyline 2.

Class 4A

1. Blackfoot (10) 7-0 45

2. Hillcrest 6-1 35

3. Bishop Kelly 6-1 20

4. Sandpoint 5-2 19

5. Nampa 5-2 4

5. Middleton...read more

For some football teams in the area, the regular season ends this Friday. It's the last week of games for the 5A SIC, before it has its district playoffs next week. 3A and 2A teams also play their last games before next weekend's play-in games.

In 5A, Caldwell hosts its cross-town rival Vallivue on Friday night. With a win, the Falcons can hang on to third place in their division, while the...read more

Bishop Kelly 38, Columbia 14

Boise 28, Timberline 14

Bonners Ferry 49, Kellogg 13

Bonneville 57, Canyon Ridge 19

Buhl 29, Kimberly 14

Capital 42, Vallivue 14

Carey 72, Jackpot, Nev. 6

Castleford 42, Hansen 0

Centennial 28, Caldwell 14

Clearwater Valley 46, Kendrick 40

Council 44, Horseshoe Bend 6

Declo 29, Glenns Ferry 7

Dietrich 34, Rockland 28

Hillcrest 36, Century 6

Idaho Falls 42...read more

With district tournaments wrapping up, the state soccer brackets are starting to take shape. Here's what the schedule will look like. There are still a few spots that haven't been decided yet, but I'll keep updating them as I get more information in. All state tournaments run from Thursday-Saturday of next week

Boys Brackets

5A

At Eagle High School and Rocky Mountain High School

Thursday

Game...read more

Michael Gordon, of Kuna, and Sora Klopfenstein, of Meridian, were the individual winners at today's West Park Open, held at West Park in Nampa.

Meridian swept both the team titles at the event, as the Warrior girls beat out Emmett and the boys beat out Rocky Mountain.

For full results from the meet, click here.

Idaho High School Football Media Poll

Week 7

Records through Oct. 13

Class 5A

Team (1st-place) Rec. Pts.

1. Capital (10) 6-0 50

2. Highland 6-1 35

3. Rocky Mountain 5-1 22

4. Eagle 5-1 13

5. Coeur d'Alene 5-1 10

Others receiving votes: Vallivue 8, Centennial 6, Skyline 6.

Class 4A

Team (1st-place) Rec. Pts.

1. Blackfoot (10) 6-0 50

2. Hillcrest 5-1 38

3. Bishop Kelly...read more

It seems like the fall sports season just began, but in one sport the state playoff picture is beginning to take shape. Seven boys and seven girls soccer teams from District III have already punched their tickets to next weekend's state tournament. Over the next two days, three more boys teams and three more girls teams will qualify for state play-in games.

On the boy's side, Middleton and...read more

High School football rankings: Week 6

Class 5A

Team (First) Rec. Pts.

1. Capital (9) 5-0 49

2. Skyline (1) 5-0 34

3. Highland 5-1 30

4. Centennial 4-1 16

5. Rocky Mountain 4-1 14

Others receiving votes: Coeur d'Alene 3, Eagle 3, Vallivue 1.

Class 4A

1. Blackfoot (10) 5-0 50

2. Hillcrest 4-1 39

3. Bishop Kelly 4-1 26

4. Sandpoint 4-2 23

5. Century 3-2 9

Class 3A

1. Shelley (9) 6...read more

Here is this week's poll. District III is starting to get a little more votes.

Records as of Sept. 23

Team (First) Rec. Pts.

Class 5A

1. Capital (9) 3-0 49

2. Highland 3-1 30

3. Skyline (1) 4-0 23

3. Vallivue 3-0 23

5. Coeur d'Alene 3-0 20

Others receiving votes: Lewiston 3, Rocky Mountain 2.

Class 4A

1. Blackfoot (8) 3-0 47

2. Hillcrest (2) 3-1 39

3. Sandpoint 3-1 30

4. Bishop...read more

Here is this week's high school football media poll. Enjoy!

Records as of Sept. 13

Class 5A

1. Capital (8) 2-0 44

2. Highland 2-1 27

3. Centennial (1) 2-0 21

3. Vallivue 2-0 21

5. Coeur d'Alene 2-0 10

Others receiving votes: Skyline 7, Post Falls 3, Caldwell 1, Lewiston 1.

Class 4A

1. Hillcrest (7) 3-0 43

2. Blackfoot (1) 2-0 32

2. Sandpoint (1) 3-0 32

4. Moscow 3-0 14

5. Century...read more

Friday, Sept. 11 scores

Asotin, Wash. 21, Grangeville 13

Blackfoot 42, Idaho Falls 13

Bonners Ferry 34, Kettle Falls, Wash. 7

Buhl 49, Burley 7

Butte County 36, W. Jefferson 14

Caldwell 29, Nampa 20

Capital 47, Borah 6

Carey 52, Murtaugh 6

Castleford 44, Shoshone 6

Centennial 29, Mountain View 6

Century 48, Madison 24

Challis 46, Sho-Ban 0

Clark County 71, Lima, Mont. 6

Coeur d'...read more

Linebacker Cody McCarthy was underneath more piles than a crane operator. Fullback Nik Buich ran wild between the tackles. And together, they led Bishop Kelly to a dominating 24-0 shutout victory against Minico in their season opener Saturday.

But that was last week. This week presents a much bigger challenge, considering 5A Mountain View invades the Knights' Kingdom tonight for a 7 p.m. battle...read more

Here are the latest rankings. Eagle, which was voted as the top team in 5A, lost 16-14 to Centennial on Wednesday night. I would image the Patriots will be ranked this time next week.

Idaho High School Football Media Poll

Week One

Team (1st pl.) Rec. Pts.

Class 5A

1. Eagle (5) 0-0 41

2. Capital (3) 0-0 34

2. Lewiston (2) 0-0 34

4. Highland 0-1 14

5. Vallivue 0-0 9

Others receiving votes...read more

Here's the AP report from around the state.

PREP FOOTBALL

Aberdeen 20, American Falls 0

Bonneville 33, Preston 14

Carey 36, Hagerman 14

Castleford 34, Dietrich 20

Coeur d' Alene 57, Lakeland 7

Council 34, Meadows Valley 0

Genesee 42, Clearwater Valley 12

Glenns Ferry 32, Nampa Christian 28

Grace 22, Butte County 20

Hansen 42, Camas County 38

Hillcrest 51, Madison 19

Idaho Falls...read more

With the departure of William Love, Phil Dailey — for now — takes over the voting in the Idaho high school football poll. This is the first installment.

Mr. Love was helpful with this week's poll, but It's all me for the rest of the season. Here is the poll, followed by the poll that was submited by the IPT.

Idaho High School Football Media Poll

Preseason

Team 2008 Rec...read more

With Bryan Gates gone to the NBA, the Idaho Stampede are searching for a head coach.

Word is the replacement might be someone familiar with the organization. Yahoo!Sports basketball insider Adrian Wojnarowski wrote Friday that former Stampede coach Larry Krystkowiak "is the favorite" to be the next coach of the Stampede. Click here to read.(It is at the end of the article.)

Krystkowiak...read more

I was just about to leave the ballpark when I got word the Chicago Cubs are assigning centerfielder Brett Jackson to the organization's Class A affiliate in Peoria.

Jackson was the Cubs' No. 1 pick this year and he impressed in his 24 games with the Boise Hawks. Jackson hit .330 with a home run and 15 RBI. He also had a double and a triple.

Replacing Jackson on the Hawks' roster is...read more

A photo surfaced on a blog Wednesday of Idaho Stampede coach Bryan Gates in Las Vegas with the new coaching staff of the Sacramento Kings.

Last month, Gates was mentioned as a possible candidate to join the coaching staff for new Sacramento head coach Paul Westphal's staff. Westphal and Gates share the same agent.

Westphal hired three assistants at the end of June, but he appears ready...read more

If you know what I mean, follow us out here.

If you don't, check us out here.

As I was leaving Memorial Stadium on Wednesday, the Voice of the Hawks, Mike Safford, let me know of some moves by the Chicago Cubs.

First, reliever Mike Perconte has been assigned to Daytona -- the Cubs' high A affiliate in Florida. After a rough outing in his first appearance, Perconte has pitched well for the Hawks with a 1-1 record and a 4.70 ERA. He also had two saves in 7 2-3 innings...read more

Who do you think will be the Idaho Press-Tribune's athlete of the year for your school?

Be sure to check Sunday's paper.

Nampa Christian athletic director Tina Pelkey announced this week that boys basketball coach Brad Adolfson resigned to pursue a career in athletic administration.

"Brad raised the level of play on the basketball court and his presence will be greatly missed," Pelkey said. "Nampa Christian wishes hime well with his future endeavors."

Adolfson had a successful two-year run...read more

Monday's Boise Hawks vs. Yakima Bears game has been moved up due to an electrical problem at Memorial Stadium.

First pitch is now scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The game had been scheduled for 7:15 p.m.

I just got word Tuesday's game will also start at 6:30 p.m.

Reports out of Chicago are the Cubs have signed top draft pick Brett Jackson. According to a report from MLB.com, Jackson will begin his professional career in Boise after he passes a physical.

No word when that will be, but Jackson should be with the Hawks by the time team returns from a five-game road trip. The addition of the outfielder out of Cal could be a big boost for Boise, which lost...read more

The Sacramento Bee's blog covering the Sacramento Kings reported new head coach Paul Westphal has hired his coaching staff. Absent from the list is Idaho Stampede coach Brian Gates.

There had been speculation Gates might be a candidate to join Westphal's staff as an assistant coach. Gates and Westphal share the same agent.

Gates told me last week he would be interested in making...read more

Reporting in from Memorial Stadium where the Hawks are playing the Tri-City Dust Devils in the final game of three-game series.

The Hawks are trying to win at least one game before heading to Oregon for the team's first road trip of the season. If you have seen my stories from the first two games, Boise has been fine offensively but has struggled with pitching and defense.

The Hawks have already...read more

Could Idaho Stampede head coach Bryan Gates soon get a call-up from the D-League to the NBA?

In a June 9 article, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports mentioned Gates as a "strong candidate" to join Paul Westphal's staff with the Sacramento Kings. Westphal was hired this week to take over the Kings and is in the process of hiring his assistant coaches.

I talked to Gates on...read more

I had been waiting for the all-conference baseball team for 1A before posting all of the all-conference teams for the spring. But I haven't heard anything, so here you go.

BASEBALL

5A SIC

Coaches of the Year: Rod Williams, Meridian; Brad Dalton, Centennial

Player of the Year: Chris Kerns, Timberline

First Team

Designated Hitter: Nick Muncy, Caldwell

First base: A.J. Work, Timberline

Catcher...read more

With their first pick in the 2009 amateur draft, the Chicago Cubs selected Brett Jackson. Jackson is a 6-foot-2, 210-pound outfielder from the Cal Berkeley who is said to have a nice approach at the plate and runs well.

Now it will be interesting to see how long it takes the Cubs to sign Jackson, and if he ends up coming to Boise when they do.

Here is a story on Jackson from the Chicago...read more

The top senior football players from around the state will be in Pocatello next week for the wannaplaycollegesports.com All State Games.

The format for this year's games have changed quite a bit. Instead of just one game, there will be three. It is still set up with Team Treasure Valley playing Team Idaho, but this year there will be games pitting 5A-4A all-stars, 3A-2A-1A all-stars and eighth...read more

I'm back after a brief break, and I am slowly making the transition in this blog from primarily posts on high school sports to posts on the Boise Hawks.

The season is just around the corner, with Opening Day for the Northwest League season scheduled for June 20. The Hawks open up with a three-game homestand against the Tri-City Dust Devils. (Click here to see the complete schedule.)

While...read more

The Memorial Day weekend got me reflecting on the past season in high school sports.

There were plenty of exciting moments during the 2008-09 season, but because of space, I will give you my top three — in no particular order — from the many events I covered.

— Parma's 29-28 overtime victory over Declo in the 2A state championship game.

The Panthers could never shake the...read more

Homedale softball standout Hannah Johnson signed a letter of intent to play for the College of Idaho.

Johnson earned first-team all-SRV honors as a catcher this season for the Trojans.

Mountain View basketball player Kayla Driscoll has signed a letter of intent to play at Treasure Valley Community College.

Driscoll was named to the 5A SIC all-conference second team during the past season.

Nampa High School football players Dustin Eason and Miles Hunsinger will sign their college letters of intent Thursday at 2:45 p.m. at the school. UPDATE: I just got word the signing has been rescheduld for next Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. in the gym foyer.

Eason (WR/LB) will sign with Montana Western in Dillon, Mont., while Hunsinger (FB/LB) plans to play for Eastern Arizona College in Thatcher...read more

I just wrapped up collecting the 5A SIC football schedules for next fall. The schedule, which is broken down by day, is from information I found on highschoolsports.net.

When I get some more free time, I will collect the 4A SIC schedules.

Feel free to comment on what you think about the schedule. Does it favor anybody? Who will advance to the district playoff game? Is there a team from the 5A SIC...read more

State Baseball Glances

Thursday

5A

At Hawks Memorial Stadium

Game 1: Eagle 9, Lewiston 4

Game 2: Timberline 9, Twin Falls 2

Game 3: Capital 6, Coeur d'Alene 4

Game 4: Meridian 5, Highland 0

4A

At Capital High School

Game 1: Moscow 1, Pocatello 0

Game 2: Rigby 4, Skyview 3

At Bishop Kelly High School

Game 3: Hillcrest 2, Mountain Home 1

Game 4: Minico 5, Nampa 0

3A

At Treasure Valley Community College

Game...read more

Below are all the scores from the state golf tournaments taking place in eastern Idaho on Monday and Tuesday.

A surprise to me is only one team from District III won a team title — the Middleton girls. It was the first 4A state title for the Vikings in golf. There was also just one individual title winner from District III — Timberline's Ali Thompson.

At Highland Golf Course

5A Boys

Team...read more

I noticed this while I was on vacation last month and have not had the chance to link to it yet. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association has adopted a 35-second shot clock for boys basketball. You can read a little about it here.

Washington becomes the seventh state to have a shot clock for the boys game, according to the article. The state already has a 30-second shot clock for...read more

A pair of Caldwell high wrestlers have signed with Montana State University-Northern, according to a press release from the school.

Derik Drake and James Eavenson will head to Havre, Mont. in the fall. Both Drake (125 pounds) and Eavenson (215) advanced to last February's state wrestling championships, helping the Cougars finish in third place as a team. Eavenson beat Post Falls' Cole...read more

Caldwell High School swimmer Hannah Gipson signed a letter of intent to compete at the University of Wyoming.

Gipson, whose specialty is the breast stroke, has been a member of the Caldwell Swim Team since she was 6 years old, according to a press release. She has placed at the last four state swimming championships. Last summer, she was the top finisher in the 100 breast stroke at the Western...read more

Because of rain, the opening round games of the District III-5A softball tournament have been postponed, according to Mountain View athletic director Cliff Rice.

The games will now be played on Monday, pushing the tournament's final day to Thursday. The following is Monday's schedule:

Mtn. View vs. Centennial, Field, 1 4 p.m.

Borah vs. Vallivue, Field 2, 4 p.m.

Timberline vs. Caldwell...read more

The Boise School District announced this week Jeff Ulrickson will take over as the head basketball coach at Boise High.

Ulrickson has 14 years of coaching experience, including three years as an assistant coach for the Braves. He has also coached at high schools in Arizona, where he spent six years as an assistant coach to Dick McConnell at Sahuaro (Tucson) High School. McConnell retired in 2007...read more

After writing my post on high school athletic associations in Alabama and Texas suspending activities because of the recent swine flu outbreak in those states, I e-mailed the Idaho High School Activities Association to ask if they have a plan in place if an outbreak were to occur in Idaho. The Spokesman-Review reported today a Spokane man is believed to have come down with the illness.

The IHSAA...read more

Athletic bodies that oversee high school athletic events in at least two states have suspended activities because of the recent swine flu outbreak.

We had a front page story in today's Sports section about the postponements in Texas. You can read more about what is happening in the following articles from sine Texas' newspapers. Here is a story on the University Interscholastic League's...read more

Interesting story out of Florida where a high school pitcher will try for his fifth consecutive no-hitter Tuesday.

If you haven't seen the story, you can read about Patrick Schuster's feat here. I was just watching ESPNews and the network plans to show all of his pitches in a playoff game. According to The New York Times' story I linked to, more than 1,000 people attended his last...read more

Homedale School District superintendent Tim Rosandick annouced Friday night the hiring of Matt Holtry as the Trojans new football coach.

Holtry has been the defensive coordinator at Nampa, where he is also the head track coach and assistant girls basketball coach. The Bulldogs had the top defense in the 4A SIC last season and advanced to the state quarterfinals.

Holtry replaces Rob Kassebaum, who...read more

An interesting story was passed on the AP wire today. Sandpoint head football coach Mike Mitchell has hired Jake Plummer as an assistant coach.

The Capital High grad and former NFL quarterback has lived in Sandpoint since retiring. Plummer has said in the past he wanted to coach, and a good source told me Plummer was helping out a team at a local elementary school. There is no word if Ben Stein or...read more

Northwest Nazarene just sent out a release to announce the signing of Capital forward Paul Egwuonwu. Egwuonwu is 6-foot-8, but spent a lot of time on the perimeter for the Eagles. He received honorable mention honors on the 5A SIC All-Conference team this season.

Here is NNU's release:

Crusaders sign Capital High School standout Paul Egwuonwu

NAMPA, Idaho - Northwest Nazarene University...read more

One of the area's top distance runners has signed a letter of intent with the University of Idaho. Lars Lunstrum is the second Wildcat track/cross country athlete to sign a letter of intent, as Barak Watson plans to attend Northwest Nazarene.

Lustrum won the 1,600 at last year's 4A state track meet and finished second -- to Watson -- in the 3,200. He also finished fourth place at last...read more

A couple quick recruiting notes:

— Vallivue senior Jesse Vermillion has signed a letter of intent to play college baseball at the College of Idaho, according to his father. As of last week, Vermillion was 2-0 with 27 strikeouts in 19.1 innings.

— Also, Vallivue softball pitcher Sydnee Jerome has received a scholarship offer to continue her career at Wenatchee Valley College in Washington...read more

This one set up nicely for the Queston of the Week: How will Aaron Sanders do as Skyview's head basketball coach?

If you haven't heard, Sean Yeager has resigned after two years as head coach. Skyview athletic director Dan McGee quickly announced the promotion of Sanders, an assistant coach for the Hawks since 2002, as Yeager's replacement.

Returning what they do from this year's...read more

Several more Treasure Valley senior standouts know what they will be doing next year.

We reported this earlier in the spring by Bishop Kelly golfer Katie Skinner has signed a letter of intent to golf at Georgetown. Skinner should be in the running for the 4A state golf title next month.

Two of the 5A SIC's top scorers in boys basketball are headed to the junior college level. Borah's Dennis Mikelonis...read more

I hope everybody has enjoyed the last few days of sunshine. It is a nice change of pace, even if it is only supposed to last for a few days.

Now for the question of the week: A big vote is taking place Wednesday at IHSAA's board of directors' meeting on whether or not to cut the regular season for ALL sports by 10 percent (i.e. one less football game, two less basketball games.) Are...read more

A pair of Melba athletes are scheduled to sign college letters of intent next week.

Three-time state wrestling champion Kyle Johnshoy will sign a letter of intent with Western State College of Colorado. The NCAA Division II school is in Gunnison, Colo. Also signing a letter of intent is Amy Wadkins, who will compete in cross country at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston. Wadkins finished 10th...read more

Here is the first addition of the Honor Roll for softball and baseball. Just so you know, the stats are provided by coaches and compiled by sports reporter Bruce Mason. (Thanks Bruce!) To provide stats, e-mail information to sports@idahopress.com by Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

Honor Roll

Through Mar.30

Softball

5A

HITTING

Batting Average

Name, School AB H AVG

Ashley VanHorne, Caldwell 44 23...read more

Here are a couple notes on Idaho athletes signing to play college sports. In both cases, it involves women's basketball.

Vallivue's Katelin Shannon was expected to sign a letter of intent Tuesday to continue her hoops career just down the road at the College of Idaho. Shannon was quite the warrior for the Falcons and wasn't afraid to play inside -- despite being 5-foot-4. You can read...read more

I hope everybody enjoyed their spring vacation. Mine is still a few weeks off, but getting to cover the first rounds of NCAA Tournament two weeks ago and then watching it this week certainly made the past couple of weeks fun.

This week I am starting a new feature on the blog called Question of the Week. Each Monday, or Tuesday, I will post a question to help spur some discussion. The question will...read more

2009 Bucks Bags Spring Classic

Thursday's Schedule

At Rodeo Park

Mountain Home vs. Mountain View, 1 p.m.; Hermiston vs. Mountain Home, 3:30 p.m.; Nampa vs. Twin Falls, 6 p.m.

At Centennial High School

Emmett vs. Rocky Mountain, 1 p.m.; Emmett vs. Madison, 3:30 p.m.; Centennial vs. Pendleton, 6 p.m.

At Capital High School

Fruitland vs. Kuna, 1 p.m.; Fruitland vs. Ontario, 3:30; Capital...read more

It was just announced the Madison's Josh Fuller was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for boys basketball. Fuller, a 6-foot-6 junior forward, helped the Bobcats reach the 5A state title game earlier this month. Madison lost to Lewiston 56-48.

Lake City's (Coeur d'Alene) Katie Baker was name the female POY earlier this month. The Montana-bound Baker certainly deserved the honor, especially...read more

BOYS

5A SIC

Player of the Year: Dontese Tower, Capital

Coach of the Year: Tom Aipperspach, Centennial

First Team

Ben Van Lith, Eagle; Zach Peterson, Timberline; Bryden Benke, Vallivue; Craig Spjute, Borah; Brock McDermott, Mountain View.

Second Team

Dennis Mikelonis, Borah; Zach Kelsh, Vallivue; Kyle Davis, Centennial; Jake Peterson, Centennial; Dallas Yorgason, Eagle.

Honorable Mention

Paul...read more

I am sure there is still a lot of buzz about Skyview's state championship victory over Pocatello on Saturday at the Idaho Center. I have to admit it was one of the better high school games I have seen.

We received a letter on Monday that will be run at some point in the paper as a guest opinion, but I realize not everybody that visits TreasureValleySports.com gets the paper. So, I thought I would...read more

The winter sports season (basketball and wrestling) wrapped up with a pretty exciting day of boys basketball at the Idaho Center.

The Skyview-Pocatello championship game was certainly the most exciting in a day full of entertaining title games, with plenty of big shots for both teams. In fact, it was so exciting that IHSAA director John Billetz took time out to laud the virtues of high school athletics...read more

5A FINAL: Lewiston 56, Madison 46. Another good game, but the Bengals hit their free throws to secure the victory.

4A FINAL: Skyview wins 59-58 in overtime. Kyle Dranginis hit a runner with 21 seconds that proved to be the game winner. Pocatello had two chances but missed both. CRAZY game!

GOING TO OVERTIME: Two big shots in final 7 seconds. Rowe hit 3-pointer to give Skyview 51-49 lead with 7 seconds...read more

FINAL: Madison 56, Capital 48. It's official - no District III teams advanced to the 5A state semifinals. All four 4A SIC teams will be playing in the early games tomorrow. Vallivue plays Eagle at 1:15 p.m., and Borah faces Capital at 3 p.m.

Halftime: Capital 27, Madison 27. The Bobcats got off to a hot start, but the Eagles managed to tie at halftime.

FINAL: Post Falls 63, Borah 59. Lions...read more

Here are the state tournament capsules for the boys basketball tournament. Thanks to all media members from across the state who helped put these together.

5A state tournament

Borah Lions

Record: 15-9

Coach: Cary Cada, 15th season

Road to state: Beat Rocky Mountain 78-59 in District III Tournament play-in game, lost to Capital 70-62 in first round, beat Centennial 66-46 in elimination game...read more

5A state tournament

At the Idaho Center

Thursday, March 5

Game 1: Vallivue (17-6) vs. Lewiston (19-4), 1:15 p.m.

Game 2: Twin Falls (18-8) vs. Eagle (18-5), 3 p.m.

Game 3: Post Falls (17-5) vs. Borah (15-9), 6:15 p.m.

Game 4: Capital (16-7) vs. Madison (15-9), 8 p.m.

Friday, March 6

Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 1:15 p.m.

Game 6: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 3 p.m.

Game 7...read more

The state wrestling coaches of the year were anounced at the beginning of Saturday's championship matches. District III coaches swept the awards given out to one coach in each of the classifications. Congratulations to all.

5A: Jody Webb, Capital

4A: Todd Cady, Columbia

3A: Isaac Mackenzie, Fruitland

2A: Shawn Riley, Parma

One note, Shawn Riley received his award from former Parma coach Jesse...read more

Howdy from the wrestling state tournament!

Well, actually we are at the Pocatello Holiday Inn after returning from Holt Arena for the opening session of the state tournament. Now in the improved two-day version. With four mats for each classification, it certainly difficult to keep track of everything. But me and sports reporter Bruce Mason will try to keep up with everything involving the local...read more

A few stories from across the state that I thought might get wrestling fans ready for tomorrow's state tournament at Holt Arena in Pocatello.

There seems to be the feeling that the 5A team title is up for grabs. One team that will certainly be in the mix is District III champion Caldwell. The Cougars send 16 wrestlers - including defending state champion Colby Kloetzer - who feel they can bring...read more

The teams for this year's Idaho State High School All-Star Basketball Games were announced Monday by the North Idaho College. The games pit the north all-stars against the south all-stars and will be played Saturday, March 14, at NIC's Christianson Gym in Coeur d'Alene. There will also be a 3-point shooting and slam dunk contests.

State media and broadcaster voted on this. I have to admit...read more

The IHSAA has posted the preliminary brackets for this week's state wrestling tournament. As they note, the brackets are subject to change before wrestling starts Friday morning at Holt Arena in Pocatello. Click here, to the get to the IHSAA wrestling page.

Bruce Mason and I will drive over to cover the tournament. So be sure to check TreasureValleySports.com and my blog for updates.

FINAL: Bonneville 43, Middleton 36. The Bees pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat the Vikings. Still, a pretty good season for Middleton considering they lost all the starters from last year's championship team.

FINAL: Lapwai 55, Clearwater Valley 44. The Wildcats won their fourth state title in girls basketball and their first since 2002.

FINAL: Richfield 59, Dietrich 37. The Tigers...read more

Coeur d'Alene-Vallivue

THIRD QUARTER: Coeur d'Alene 47, Vallivue 34.

HALFTIME: Coeur d'Alene made three free throws in the final 28 seconds of the quarter to give the Vikings a 30-28 lead at halftime. Devyn Christensen has been playing limited minutes for Vallivue. She wasn't in foul trouble, so who knows ...

First Quarter: Devan Matkin hit a 3-pointer at the end of the quarter...read more

Madison-Vallivue

FINAL: Vallivue 58, Madison 52. The Falcons had to fend off the upset-minded Madison Bobcats to advance to the semifinals of the 5A state tournament. It wasn't easy for Vallivue, especially considering all of the free throws they missed. The Falcons will have to up their game if they want to compete with Coeur d'Alene.

For you District III fans, three teams from the 5A SIC...read more

Here are the final state media polls for the boys basketball season.

Notes: First-place votes in parentheses. Records are through Tuesday.

BOYS

5A

1. Lewiston (5) 16-3 32

2. tie, Lake City 16-4 23

Eagle (2) 16-5 23

4. tie, Vallivue 15-6 8

Centennial 15-6 8

Others receiving votes: Capital 5, Mountain View 4, Post Falls 2.

4A

1. Skyview (7) 20-0 35

2. Jerome 19-2 27

3. Hillcrest...read more

Thanks to all the reporters around the state who helped compile these.

State 5A tournament

Boise Braves

Record: 19-4

Road to state: Beat Borah 53-34 in first round of District III Tournament, lost to Vallivue 58-49 in semifinals, beat Capital 56-46 in state qualifying game.

Players to watch: Jordin Juker, jr., guard/forward (10.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.6 steals); Kimberly Smith, sr., guard...read more

Here are the district schedules for boys basketball. The District III-4A boys schedule is not filled out yet because the season ends Tuesday night.

As soon as I have the schedule, I will post it here.

District III-5A tournament

Saturday

Play-in Games

At Borah High School

Mountain View 55, Caldwell 41

At Capital High School

Boise 79, Meridian 58

Borah 78, Rocky Mountain 59

———

Tuesday, Feb. 17

At Borah High School

Game...read more

Update: I just got word that the 1A Division II seminfinals have been moved to the earlier session to allow the winners more rest before the championship game. Because there are six tournaments now, the Division II game will tip off at 9:30 a.m.

That will certainly make for a full day of basketball on Saturday.

5A State Tournament

Thursday, Feb. 19

At the Idaho Center

Game 1: Centennial...read more

Here are this week's state media rankings for boys basketball and a link to Idaho Wrestling News' state rankings. If you are looking for the girls basketball polls, the final rankings were released last week.

Anyway, the link for wrestling fans is here. The basketball polls are below.

State Media Basketball Rankings

Note: Records are through Tuesday. First-place votes in parentheses

...read more

The 5A SIC boys basketball regular season wrapped up last night. Below are the final league standings and next week's schedule for the District III-5A tournament. Remember, there are district play-in games Saturday at Borah and Capital high schools.

Final standings

1. Eagle 14-4

2. Centennial 13-5

3. Vallivue 12-6

4. Capital 12-6

5. Timberline 11-7

6. Borah 11-7

7. Mountain View 11-7

8...read more

We have had several track signing this week. The latest is Skyview's Nikkie Rudder, who will sign a letter of intent with the University of Utah on Thursday.

Rudder will compete in the throwing events for the Utes. The three-sport athlete was the 4A state champion in the shot put in 2007.

Other track signings this week included Nampa Christian's Kaycee Brunel inking with Wichita State. Columbia's...read more

The Idaho High School Activities Association announced Wednesday the 2008-09 winter sports academic state champions. The award is presented to a varsity team in each classification that achieves the highest cumulative grade point average.

Two schools from District III made the list - the Boise High girls and the Melba High boys. Congratulations to both teams for the honor.

Girls Basketball

5A...read more

Below is a release from the Idaho High School Activities Association. Some of the changes are small (such as making meetings paperless) and others are big (reducing the size of the state golf tournament).

Remember, the IHSAA is also looking at reducing the number of regular season events for all sports by 10 percent and eliminating state play-in games. If you don't think it might happen, take...read more

Idaho athletics is not my normal beat, but when Vandal football coach Robb Akey and athletic director Rob Spear were in the Treasure Valley last Friday I did the interviews. I wrote this story in Saturday's paper, which focused on Akey trying to get more football recruits from "Vandal Country." Spear also talked some on a possible contract extension for mens basketball coach Don...read more

It wasn't too long ago the Idaho Stampede were part of the Continental Basketball Association (Hooray for quarter points!). Long-time Stampede fans will remember in 2001 when the league went bankrupt.

The CBA returned, but it wasn't long before some of the stronger teams, including the Stampede, jumped ship for the D-League. I noticed at the start of this CBA season the league was down to...read more

The state wrestling tournament is just three weeks away.You can check out the latest wrestling rankings and Idaho Wrestling News by clicking here.

You will notice several Treasure Valley wrestlers top the state-wide rankings. Also, here is a feature on the Pocatello wrestling team which hopes to compete for a 4A state title.

Less than two weeks away is the state girls basketball tournament...read more

Sorry, I didn't get this up earlier. This is the final girls poll, and there are two more weeks of the boys poll.

State media basketball rankings

Note: Records are through Tuesday. First-place votes in parentheses.

BOYS

5A

1. Lake City (5) 13-3 29

2. Lewiston 12-2 27

3. tie, Eagle 12-4 18

Centennial (2) 13-4 18

5. Capital 13-4 14

Others receiving votes: Post Falls 8, Vallivue...read more

Here is a list of Treasure Valley football players that have or will be signing a letter of intent.

Boise State

Geraldo Hiwat, WR, Capital High School

Bryant Thomas, OL, Capital High School

Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe, DL, Boise High School

Carroll College

Michael Siegersma, WR, Nampa Christian High School

Eastern Washington

Caleb Worthington, OL, Mountain View High School

Idaho

Jeffrey...read more

I just got word from Columbia athletic director Randy Potter on a schedule change for Saturday's Skyview-Columbia boys basketball game.

The game will be played Saturday at 2 p.m. at Skyview High School.

FINAL: Stampede held off a late charge by the D-Fenders for the the win. It gives Idaho a 2.5 game lead in D-League's West Divison.

THIRD QUARTER: I guess if you can't defend, try to shoot your way back into the game. The D-Fenders cut into the Stampede's lead to make it 83-72. Lance Allred is up to 26 points. Joe Crawford, who played at Kentucky, leads Los Angeles with 19 points.

HALFTIME...read more

Through Jan.28

(Games played varies)

Girls Basketball

5A

Area leaders

Points

Name, School Games Average

Devyn Christensen, Vallivue 19 15.5

Katelin Shannon, Vallivue 19 10.5

Jordin Juker, Boise 19 10.1

Mariah Roe, Borah 18 9.9

Stevie Humphries, Mtn. View 15 9.6

Kimberly Smith, Boise 19 8.8

Shelbi Smith, Borah 18 8.3

Sharaysa Stewart, Capital 16 8.1

Kayla Driscoll, Mtn...read more

Next week wil be the final girls basketball rankings.

Note: Records are through Tuesday. First-place votes in parentheses.

BOYS

5A

Team Record Points

1. Lake City (7) 11-2 42

2. Lewiston 11-2 29

3. Eagle (2) 11-3 26

4. Post Falls 11-1 21

5. Centennial 11-4 13

Others receiving votes: Capital 3, Vallivue 1.

4A

1. Skyview (9) 13-0 45

2. Jerome 13-2 36

3. Hillcrest 11-3 24

4....read more

I just got word from Nampa Christian head coach Randy Haverfield that wide receiver/defensive back Mike Siegersma will sign Thursday to play football at Carroll College in Helena, Mont.

If you are not familiar with Carroll, the Fighting Saints have won NAIA nationals championships in 2002, '03, '04, '05 and '07. No word on what position Siegersma will be playing there (WR or DB),...read more

Because of space limitations, I didn't get to hit on everything I wanted to in my Vallivue-Centennial game story in Wednesday's paper. You can link to that story here.

One of the keys for Vallivue's 68-62 win was the Falcons' play inside. The duo of Zach Kelsh (20 points, 11 rebounds) and Bryden Benke (14, 6) got the upper hand on Dallin Erickson and Kyle Davis. The play of Kelsh...read more

I just got off the phone with Nampa athletic director John Gregory who confirmed that Bulldog quarterback Quaid Morris has committed to play football at Weber State.

That Morris has committed to Weber State isn't much of a shock. Morris' brother, Trevor, plays basketball for the Wildcats.

In football, Weber State was co-champions of the Big Sky with Montana after finishing 7-1 in conference...read more

The Stampede had three players score at 23 points and were never really challenged by Colorado. To be far to Clorado they have lost a couple of NBA players in the last two weeks, but it was a good bounce back win for the Stampede, who play again on Saturday at 7 p.m.

My story for tomorrow's paper focuses a little on Coby Karl's departure. But more on the perspective of who will step up in...read more

I have been doing some follow up on reports that former Boise State standout Coby Karl was leaving the Idaho Stampede for Spain (click here for the story from Friday's paper).

The Web site for the Pro Exposure Network lists Karl as signing with Joventut Badalona in its transactions for Jan. 23. It doesn't list terms for the deal other than Karl has signed for the rest of the season.

Official...read more

Here is a story I out together for Friday's paper.

BOISE — Idaho Stampede guard and former Boise State standout Coby Karl has agreed to join a team in Spain for the rest of the season, according to reports from the Web sites for the Rocky Mountain News and Los Angeles Times.

The Rocky Mountain News was also reporting that Karl had received interest from the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"They...read more

Here are the scoring and rebound leaders in the 5A and 4A SIC this week. Most are up to date.

If you don't see your stats, please provide scoring and rebounding averages by 3:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. E-mail to bmason@idahopress.com.

Note: Boys 5A stats compiled by Steve Schroeder

Through Jan.21

(Games played varies)

Girls Basketball

5A

Area leaders

Points

Name, School Games Average

Devyn...read more

State Media Basketball Rankings

Note: Records are through Tuesday. First-place votes in parentheses.

BOYS

5A

1. Eagle (4) 10-2 36

2. Lake City (4) 8-2 34

3. Lewiston (1) 9-2 24

4. Post Falls 9-1 16

5. Centennial 9-3 10

Also receiving votes: Capital 9, Borah 4, Twin Falls 1, Madison.

4A

1. Skyview (9) 12-0 45

2. Jerome 12-2 30

3. Hillcrest 10-2 26

4. Blackfoot 10-2 25

5. Century...read more

Middleton defeated Columbia 57-44 on Tuesday night. The win improved Middleton to 5-1 in the 4A SIC and 7-5 overall, while Columbia dropped to 1-5, 2-10.

The Vikings will host top-ranked Skyview on Friday. The game should give Middleton an idea on where it stands when it comes to a possible conference title and what they could do at state.

Here are a few thoughts on the upcoming game from Middleton...read more

Columbia picked up its second win in as many years at the River City Duals, held annually in Post Falls. Click here, to read a recap by the Coeur d'Alene Press.

The story focuses on the North Idaho teams, but they also include a listing of undefeated wrestlers in the 22 team tournament. Columbia led the way with seven, while Capital and Nampa each had two wrestlers finish the weekend perfect...read more

Here are the latest state-wide power rankings from Idaho Wrestling News.

There are also individual standings. Click here to check them out.

Or should I say recruiting and stats.

First the recruiting.

There were a few reports from across the state about some players college plans. The big one is that Lake City's Billy Sanders — the one time Miami (Fla.) recruit — has now committed to UCLA. You can read why here. With Highland's Taysom Hill (Stanford) and Mountain View's Darren Markle (Washington State), there...read more

State Media Rankings

Note: Records are through Tuesday. First-place votes in parentheses.

BOYS

5A

1. Lewiston (5) 9-1 36

2. Eagle (1) 9-2 25

3. Centennial (1) 9-2 22

4. Post Falls 8-1 14

5. Lake City (1) 7-2 13

Others receiving votes: Capital 5, Borah 4, Twin Falls 1.

4A

1. Skyview (8) 10-0 40

2. Blackfoot 9-1 26

3. Jerome 10-2 22

4. Hillcrest 9-2 21

5. Century 8-3...read more

Idaho Stampede had two players named to NBA Development League's All-Showcase Team.

Point guard Coby Karl was named to the first team, while forward Brent Petway was an honorable mention. The D-League Showcase took place last week in Orem, Utah. The Stampede had two come-from-behind wins during the week, which attracts front office personnel from every NBA team and several overseas teams.

You...read more

We had the placers from each weight class at the Rollie Lane tournament in Sunday's paper, but if you are looking for match scores and such, click here.

Columbia was dominate in claiming the team title, which as I wrote in my story about their win is a good sign in the Wildcats' quest for the 4A title at state. This, along with the title at the Buck's Bags Duals, gives Columbia some...read more

The opening day of the Rollie Lane Wrestling Invitational actually ended after Saturday's newspaper went to the press. As a result, we were not able to get the Friday's results in the paper.

To the see the results, click here. Also, I referred to state wrestling rankings in my story about Kuna's Cody Lords. If you want to see those individual state ranking, click here.

Rollie Lane starts Friday at Jackson Indoor Track facility at the Idaho Center. The following are the teams competing in this year's invitational and the seedings.

Check TreasureValleySports.com later for a preview. 

Schools competing in 2009 Rollie Lane Wrestling Invitational

Idaho

American Falls, Bishop Kelly, Blackfoot, Boise, Bonneville, Borah, Caldwell, Capital, Centennial, Columbia...read more

State Media Rankings

BOYS

Note: Records are through Tuesday. First-place votes in parentheses.

5A

1. Lewiston (5)     7-1    40

2. Eagle (1)     7-1    35

3. tie, Capital (1)     7-1    21

    Post Falls (2)     8-0    21

5. Centennial   ...read more

Thanks to all the coaches and statkeepers who provided statistics for this week.

Basketball leaders

Through Jan.5

(Games played varies)

Girls Basketball

5A

Area leaders

Points

Name, School    Games     Average

Devyn Christensen, Vallivue    12    17.0

Chelsie Luke, Meridian      11  ...read more

FINAL: Jamal Tatum, Brent Petway and Luke Jackson helped lead the Stampede in a come-from-behind victory. With Friday's win over Bakersfield, Idaho has beat the top two teams record-wise in the D-League.

THIRD QUARTER: Back-to-back 3s to end the third quarter gave the Toros the lead 74-68. Coby Karl leads Idaho with 15 points. Andre Brown has 19 to pace the Toros. 

SECOND QUARTER: Coby...read more

Here are individual basketball stats, we call it the Honor Roll, compiled by the IPT's Bruce Mason and 5A SIC statistician Steve Schroeder. The averages are through Dec. 30.

If you would like to submit individual stats or see an error, please have coach or team statistician e-mail them to sports@idahopress.com by Monday at 5 p.m. We run the Honor Roll in the paper each Wednesday.

A big thanks...read more

After seeing just a little bit of time in Mississippi's loss to Louisville on Thursday, Vallivue graduate Will Bogan could see more playing time — a lot more.

Here is the story from the AP: 

Ole Miss guard Chris Warren out for season
By CHRIS TALBOTT
Associated Press Writer
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi point guard Chris Warren is out for the season after tearing a ligament...read more

Stampede moved up to second in the latest D-League Power Rankings. You can see who is on top here. Note that the Stampede will get their shot at the top team on Sunday.

These rankings did come out before Idaho lost to Anaheim on Thursday. The teams will play for the fourth time this season Saturday. 

A few hours ago, this post was just going to be about former Vallivue guard Will Bogan likely appearing on ESPN tonight when Mississippi plays No. 9 Louisville tonight at 7 p.m.

Then, of course, news broke that Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy was arrested early this morning after allegedly assualting a cab driver. It should be pointed out that Kennedy refutes the charge and will be coaching tonight....read more

We have been working on our All-Area teams for football, volleyball, boys and girls soccer, and boys and girls cross country. I just got the publication date - Friday, Dec. 19 - so be sure to grab a paper, or two, that day.

In the meantime, I have the all-conference teams from the fall. I think they are all here except for Long Pin volleyball and SRV boys and girls soccer. If you know who has them...read more

The Stampede sit third in the latest D-League Power Rankings by Matthew Brennan.

You can read why and see the rest of the rankings here.

As expected, Luke Jackson was added to the Idaho Stampede's roster before the team heads to Texas for a two-game road trip. The addition provides Idaho with another player capable of scoring and handling the ball.

Here is the Stampede release:

STAMPEDE SIGN LUKE JACKSON
BOISE — The Idaho Stampede announce the acquisition of guard Luke Jackson. Jackson played in 19 games for the Stampede last...read more

STATE MEDIA RANKINGS
Girls basketball

Records through Tuesday

5A
1. Coeur d'Alene (5)    4-0    36
2. Centennial (2)    5-0    30
3. Vallivue (1)    4-1    28
4. Post Falls    3-1    11
5. Highland    5-0    10
Others receiving votes: Lewiston...read more

I am working a little double duty following the Idaho Stampede this season. I am going to try to blog at all the games I am at.

Things started a little late tonight because of the ring ceremony before the game. They look like nice rings.

FINAL: Coby Karl led Idaho in the win with 25 points, eight assists and five rebounds. Jermareo Davidson added 18 and Lance Allred 17.

HALFTIME: Brent Petway...read more

Here is an interesting story on doping by high school athletes from the The New York Times.

As I would guess most could imagine, the majority of states do not mandatory testing for doping. What do you think? Should testing for steroids be mandatory in Idaho?

Overtime

Parma - Johnson 3 run (Erickson kick) 

Declo - Kowitz 1 run (pass failed)

4th quarter 

Declo - Riley Kowitz 2 run, 10:33 (pass good)

3rd quarter

Parma - Randy Riley 60 pass from Rance Portenier, 2:44 

Declo - Will Nunnelee 16 run, 7:10 (kick blocked)

2nd quarter

Parma - Lance Johnson 41 run, 2:50 

1st quarter 

Parma - Lance Johnson 15 run, :36. 

Declo...read more

After struggling at Holt Arena last week, I was able to log into the Boise State system no problem. Thanks BSU!

Anyway, it is about 25 minutes to kick off until the Parma-Declo game. Be sure to check back for updates.

Our sister paper, if you didn't know, is the Idaho State Journal over in Pocatello. They do a great job over there and are great hosts, so I figured I would give them some love.

First is a blog post by Kelvin Ang on Jerome basketball standout Aubree Callen. Callen, who is receiving interest from several schools, will be in the Treasure Valley this week when the Tigers play Middleton on Friday at...read more

For a moment Saturday, I thought District III coaches would never want me at their games, with Mountain View and Nampa Christian losing. Fortunately, I missed the strikeout when Parma beat Aberdeen 14-7 to advance to the 2A state title game.

The Panthers will join Fruitland (3A) and Eagle (5A) in playing for a championship next week. Parma will kick off a doubleheader Friday at Bronco Stadium with...read more

Sorry for not posting. As I figured, there were some Internet problems that I wasn't able to remedy until after the game.

Hopefully, I will be up and running for Saturday's games.

Real quick on Friday's game. I haven't been this impressed by an Idaho high school quarterback since I saw Cody Pickett play against Sandpoint way back when.

Taysom Hill is the real deal, as Mountain View found out tonight...read more

Just to let you know, I will be heading to Pocatello on Friday to cover the Mountain View, Nampa Christian and Parma playoff games.

I am going to try to blog from Holt Arena during the games. I say try, because I had problems with the Internet last year when Nampa played Blackfoot. At the very least, check back to TVS for game stories and photos from the three football games.

To keep you busy, I...read more

With the girls basketball season starting Friday, here is a look at the preseason media polls released last week. We will see how these standup at the end of the season.

Already see a good matchup between Vallivue and Bishop Kelly, however.

Girls basketball media preseason rankings
5A
1.    Coeur d'Alene (7)  46
2.    Vallivue (2)      ...read more

Another Bishop Kelly signing happens Wednesday when senior Cassie Brunelle inks with St. Mary's College to play lacrosse on scholarship.

According to a press release, Brunelle is the first high school athlete from Idaho sign a letter of intent to play NCAA Division I lacrosse. The signing is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the Carley Center.

Brunelle is a midfielder who has helped the Knight go 40-8-1 in...read more

BOISE — Bishop Kelly pitcher Nico Lytle has committed to play baseball at Washington State.
The senior was key member on last year’s Knights team, which defeated Skyview for the 4A state title. Lytle will sign his letter of intent in the next week or two.
The Cougars have also been recruiting Nampa’s Quaid Morris.

UPDATE: Lytle has a ceremony planned for Friday at 12:30 p.m. in...read more

I am hearing bits and pieces because I am writing this post late Friday from Grangeville/Riggins, but from what I gather most of the 2C teams struggled tonight.

The one team that didn't was Nampa Christian, which easily defeated the previously unbeaten Grangeville Bulldogs. Getting out to a 12-0 lead in the first 8 minutes always helps. But even if James Nederend didn't run the opening kickoff back...read more

Riggins!!!!

I will be covering the Nampa Christian-Grangeville game tonight, so be sure to check with the blog and tomorrow's paper for reports from the game.

Now, why am I in Riggins? Apparently there is an Elks convention in Grangeville this weekend, so there are no hotel rooms. The next closest place? Riggins, where I found a nice, affordable room at the Riggins Motel. They even have wireless...read more

The Times-News' Ryan Howe wrote today it is very possible there will be Minico-Jerome matchup next week in the 4A state semifinals.

For that to happen, of course, both teams would have to beat 4A SIC opponents - Minico hosts Middleton and Jerome travels to Nampa - this Friday. Howe called the contests "very winnable" for the two District IV teams.

Can you say bulletin board material?

You...read more

District III schools came away with four of the six state volleyball titles this weekened in eastern Idaho.

Eagle (5A), Parma (2A), Horseshoe Bend (1A D-I) and Garden Valley (1A D-II) all finished on top of their respective tournaments. In addition, Melba finished second in the 2A.

Congratulations to all for the great seasons.

State soccer tournaments starts Thursday in the Treasure Valley. Here are Thursday's schedules with records for most of the teams.

5A State Boys Soccer Tournament
Thursday
Note: All games at Eagle High School, unless noted otherwise
Game 1: Coeur d’Alene (9-8-0) vs. Mountain View (13-3-1), 9:30 a.m.
Game 2: Centennial (15-2-2) vs. Skyline, 9:30 a.m. (At Rocky Mountain)
Game 3: Idaho Falls...read more

The IHSAA is taking serious consideration of moving the golf season from the spring to fall.

There are several reasons, but the biggest is finding golf courses to host the state tournaments. You can read more about the proposal here, it is on Page 7 of the September 2008 Synopsis. You can also read Greg Lee's column about the potential move here. The proposal is on the Action Agenda for the...read more

Here they are ...

Idaho prep football media poll
Records as of Oct. 15
Team (First)    Record    Pts.
5A
1. Eagle (7)    6-0    49
2. Capital (3)    6-0    46
3. Lewiston (1)    6-0    24
4. Vallivue    6-0    23
5. Highland    4...read more

I apologize, but I forgot to post this yesterday. Anyway, things are starting to become a little more consistent in the polls. My poll picks are at the bottom.

Idaho Prep Football Media Poll
Records as of Oct. 8
Team (First)    Record    Pts.
5A
1. Eagle (7)    5-0    47
2. Capital (3)    5-0    42
3....read more

Some of Friday night’s standouts
RB, Spencer Hall, Columbia
Hall rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries in the Wildcats 29-27 overtime loss to the Mountain Home Tigers.

QB/DB, Tyler Christensen, Notus
Offensively, Christensen ran for 57 yards and two touchdowns in the Pirates 44-12 victory over Greenleaf. On defense, he was just as impressive, as he recorded 10 tackles...read more

Here are the football statistics as of Sept. 19's games.

5A SIC
TEAM OFFENSE
Team    Rush    Pass    Total    Avg.    Pts.
Vallivue    726    611    1337    446    36
Timberline    306    1002    1308  ...read more

Here is the latest.

As I thought, Nampa Christian moved down this week because of a bye. They still have the most first-place votes, however. District III has the top 3 5A teams, with Eagle and Capital halving the first-place votes.

You can scroll down to see how I voted this week. Also, the standing are in a little different format. They are arranged by classification instead of district, so it...read more

Here are some of Friday night's standouts and the state scores. 

QB, Bryce Hughes, Caldwell
Hughes went 17-for-26 for 222 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions in Caldwell’s 31-17 loss to Boise.

DB, Cam Stewart/DB, Tyler Ford, Parma
Stewart and Ford led Parma’s stiffling defense, as they each recorded two interceptions in the Panther’s 21-7 defeat of the Homedale Trojans...read more

Some of Friday night's standouts
RB Dean Coombs, Middleton
Coombs rushed for 111 yards on 15 carries and caught three passes for 56 yards in Middleton’s 22-6 loss to Sandpoint.
RB Mark Mourton, Caldwell
Mourton carried the ball just 11 times, but had a game-high 118 yards rushing, including a 71-yard touchdown run in the Cougar’s 28-24 loss to Nampa.
RB Cole Rivera/QB Quaid Morris, Nampa
For...read more

Good Friday to you.

To keep you busy before tonight's game, take a trip around the state.

There is a big 3A matchup tonight when Shelley travels to Snake River, which you can read here.  Shelley is the defending state champion, and the Russets are ranked No. 1 this season. They also have a cheerleader whose outfit is made out of a potato bag.

Snake River, meanwhile, is ranked third in...read more

Here are this week's polls and standing from throughout the state. I also have the poll I submitted this week at the end of this entry. 

Week 2 Polls 

Team (First)      Record   Points
5A
1. Highland (9)    1-0    48
2. Capital    1-0    26
3. Meridian (1)    1-0  ...read more

I forgot to link to this earlier, but it is some photos from last week's football games.

You can also find it and other slideshows at the bottom of TreasureValleySports.com page under heading Multimedia.

Let's see if we can get a discussion started. What are your thoughts on this week's games? (All you have to do to post a comment, is register.)

I imagine a lot of you watched the BYU-Washington college football game Saturday. Former Caldwell lineman Terence Thomas watched the game from the Huskies' sideline.

Terence's father Thomas summed up the game well for Husky fans when he told me, "tough loss." Anyway, for all those who were wondering what Terence looked like in the purple and gold, check this out. (He is  No. 75)

Some of Friday night's standouts
RB Blake Love, Melba
Love rushed for 225 yards on 27 carries, while scoring two touchdowns in Melba’s 33-14 defeat of the Payette Pirates.
MLBs Israel Urabazzo and James Stell, Parma
The inside linebackers for the Panthers held Nyssa, Ore., to just 10 yards rushing and 82 total yards on the Bulldogs’ home field Friday.
RB Dalton Koplin, Parma
Koplin...read more

Plenty of football tonight. Here are what some of the papers around the state are reporting:

Greg Lee picks his conference champions in District I-II, read more here.

Post Falls likes that it plays two Treasure Valley schools in the next three weeks, read more here.

Highland has to go out of state for games, because Treasure Valley schools will no longer travel, read more here.

The...read more

As promised, this week's state media polls with a little extra. The writers across the state are teaming up to put together the conference standings. So now you can keep up with your Nuclear Conference football here!

Interesting stuff in the polls. Nampa Christian is now No. 1 in the 2A, which was just one of the many changes. You have to love the first couple weeks when things are shaking out across...read more

The state football polls have started again. I posted last week's polls here, but I forgot to post my votes.

I just finished putting mine together for this week, so I figured I would give an early peek at my votes. What are your thoughts? I can tell you, the 5A SIC is a tough one to figure out.

Anyway, I will put up the final poll as soon as I get it.

5A
Lake City
Highland
Eagle
Vallivue
Mountain...read more

The Idaho football season started Saturday, with a game a long, long way from here.

Blackfoot, the team that beat Nampa for the 4A championship, opened its season with a road trip to Juneau, Alaska. Juneau-Douglas had already played two games prior to Saturday's game, but somebody forgot to tell Blackfoot. The Broncos rolled to a 27-7 victory.

You can read more about it here and here.

Speaking...read more

I received an interesting alert from the fine folks from Google late last night.

It turns out Birmingham High School (Van Nuys, Calif.) has received a transfer student from Boise. The Los Angeles Times' high school blog reported yesterday that Marquelle Henderson, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound defensive lineman, had transferred to the school. You can read more about it here.

The Times' writer said Henderson...read more

After spending some of my summer perched in the press box at Memorial Field, I have found my way down to the field - the football field.

I stopped by my first high school football practice Tuesday evening to check in on the Nampa Christian Trojans. I think almost every player on the team has put on at least 20 pounds since last year, and it is not the kind of weight I put on after a trip to the nearest...read more

The Salt Lake Tribune's Jay Drew reports on his blog about recruiting that 6-foot-8 freshman Casey Oliverson is moving with his family to Louisiana.

Oliverson's family was living in Preston, and the move is a somewhat complicated story that you can read about here.

Casey's older brother, Shaun, is a 6-foot-11 center who is at La. Tech after playing at Preston, then a year at Cornell followed...read more

July 31 is the final day to register for the BAM Jam, a three-on-three basketball tournament scheduled for Aug. 8-9 in Boise.

For more on the tournament, visit www.bamjamboise.com. Brackets will be available for every level, but I imagine there will be some very competitive games at the high school level. 

There is no better time to start swinging a hot bat than when your father is in town.
That has certainly been the case for Boise catcher Michael Brenly, who has put together back-to-back multi-hit games with his dad watching from the Memorial Stadium stands during the Hawks' three-game series with the Tri-City Dust Devils. The younger Brenly, who was drafted this year in the 36th round by the Chicago Cubs, went 3-for-4 on Tuesday with three runs in Boise's 9-7 win over Tri-City in front of a crowd of 2,291.
"I might have to call WGN and tell them I am taking the rest of the summer off," joked Bob Brenly, who is the color analyst for the Cubs television broadcasts and is visiting Boise during MLB's All-Star break.
Beside his work in TV, Bob Brenly enjoyed a nine-year MLB career as a catcher, but he might be best known for managing the Arizona Diamondbacks to the 2001 World Series title. He has worked in the booth the past four years but would not rule out a return to the dugout.

With a 14-12 record entering Monday, the Boise Hawks found themselves two games behind Tri-City and six games behind first-place Spokane in Northwest League's East Division.

The Hawks have yet to play the Indians, but Boise starts a six-game series (three at home, three on the road) with the Dust Devils. A perfect chance to jump ahead of Tri-City and try to get closer to Spokane.

A Josh Banda three...read more

Scout.com is reporting Miami Hurricanes football commit Billy Sanders has moved from Arizona to Coeur d'Alene for his senior year of high school. You can read more about it here (with subscription).

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound tight end will attend Lake City, a high school that has already developed a reputation for producing Division I talent since opening in the mid-1990s. The last two seasons...read more

UPDATE: The Hawks ended up falling 10-7 to the Canadians. The winning run came to the plate in Josh Vitters, but he grounded out to end the game. 

The Hawks are down 7-2 to the Vancouver Canadians in the fourth game of the five-game series.

The Hawks are making a bit of comeback in the seventh, with Ryan Keedy getting an RBI single. Rebel Ridling also hit his fourth home run of the season in...read more

The Hawks beat the Vancouver Canadians 3-0 on the Fourth of the July, but in the win, third baseman Josh Vitters' hit streak ended at 15 games. Here is a look back at Vitters' streak

July 3 vs. Vancouver: 1-4, double
July 2 vs. Tri-City: 1-3
July 1 at Tri-City: DNP
June 30 at Tri-City: 2-4
June 29 vs. Yakima: 1-4
June 28 vs. Yakima: 1-2
June 27 vs. Yakima: 2-5, home run and 3 RBI
June...read more

Taysom Hill, one of the top football prospects in the state, has verbally committed to Stanford, several media outlets have reported.

The quarterback had scholarship offers from BYU, Utah, Idaho State, Washington State and Arizona. He was also offered by Boise State, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

Football fans in the Treasure Valley likely won't see dual-threat QB play until the 5A state playoffs...read more

 UPDATE: Hawks win 3-0 thanks in part to a two-run home run by Rebel Ridling in the fourth inning.

Happy Fourth of July from Memorial Stadium.

The Hawks are playing the Vancouver Canadians (U.S. vs. Canada on July 4?) before a sellout crowd. I was told by Hawks' officials that 500 standing-room-only tickets were also sold, so they are thinking upwards of 4,000 people to watch the game.

To...read more

The Idaho High Schol All-Star Football game is a couple of days away in Pocatello.

A.J. Storms, the standout quarterback who led Meridian to the 5A state championship, will be playing in the game at quarterback and safety. It will give Storms a chance to play on the field he will call home the next 4 or 5 years.

The Idaho State Journal's Dan Thompson wrote this article about the future Idaho...read more

It is hot! Still a good-sized crowd for temperatures in the 100s and a Sunday evening. The attendance is 1,801

The Hawks are heading into the ninth inning tied with the Yakima Bears 3-3. The big hit for Boise came from Rebel Ridling, who had a three-run homer in the fourth inning. Good timing for me there, as Ridling will be the feature of my story that will run in Wednesday.

Ridling shares time...read more

Not real pretty at Memorial Stadium on Saturday night against the Yakima Bears.

Starter Mark Pawelek struggled in the first two innings. The defense behind him didn't help with three errors. The sum of those two things was a 7-0 deficit after two innings. Then Collin Cowgill hit a grand slam in the third off Michael Bunton to make it 11-0.

Things have calmed down since then, but the Hawks are still...read more

Hey, all.

Checking in from my other job covering the Boise Hawks. The Hawks lead the Yakima Bears 5-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning. The big blow was a three-run blast from Josh Vitters, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2007 draft.

I took a photo of the first pitch by Boise's Marcus Hatley to Yakima's Bredan Duffy. Hatley went four innings, striking out two, walking two and allowing three hits...read more

Our friend over in Pocatello - Dan Thompson - wrote about the football camp at Idaho State this week. By his count, there are seven schools from the Treasure Valley attending the Bengals' camp.

I know Nampa is one of the teams there, which is interesting because Idaho State has already offered Bulldog quarterback Quaid Morris. As far as I know, though, Morris is not there because he is playing baseball...read more

If you were expecting to watch the 2008 Idaho High School All-Star Football Game, get ready to drive.

The game featuring all-stars from the Treasure Valley (Team Treasure Valley) against players from the rest of the state (Team Idaho) has moved to Pocatello this year. The game is scheduled for July 5.

 You can read a more about it here.

I got a chance to talk to Nampa's Quaid Morris on Tuesday.

He is about to take off for Seattle to play for an elite traveling team this summer. It should give Morris some great exposure in baseball.

Of course, he is also a pretty good football player who is receiving some interest from Boise State, Stanford and others. Morris said most of the schools' are interested in him as an athlete for football...read more

A few links to get ready for the state track, which runs Thursday-Saturday at Bronco Stadium.

There is nothing like doing your job - under any circumstance. A Utah photographer got the shot of a javelin that caught somebody in the leg. Oh yeah, it was in own. You can read and SEE it here.

Another story we ran in the paper a couple of weeks ago. Bonnie Richardson of Rochelle High School took...read more

I just got word that Kuna girls basketball coach has resigned for personal reasons.

Kuna is beginning a search for a new coach. 

It was definitely a day for the pitchers on the first day of the 4A tournament.

Two shutouts and another team (Bishop Kelly) scored just one run. That run was important, though, in the Knights' 1-0 win over Pocatello. David Nathan was impressive for the BK - more impressive than when I saw him throw his no-hitter against Skyview. Talking to Bob Sutcliffe after the game, he is happy to be on his side...read more

It was a good tournament with a little bit of everything — some upsets, some big offense and some strong pitching.

There were not a lot of home runs, though. Well, at least at Columbia High School.  I attended four games at the tournament this week, but only witnessed one home run — in the championship game by lefthander Randy Hall — despite some big hits.

The jet stream...read more

As we head into the final week of the regular season for baseball, Tom Wyrwich of the Seattle Times has this story on the rise of arm problems with young pitchers here.

Do you think there should be pitch-count restrictions on high school baseball players?

Speaking of baseball, there are a couple big series going on this week before the district tournaments. In 5A, Boise and Timberline are...read more

SI.com recently had a story on Daniel Smith, the Centennial defensive back who is suing the University of Hawaii because he claims coaches offered him a football scholarship but later rescinded it a few weeks before signing day. The story by Andy Staples says that Smith is planning on walking on at Boise State or Portland State.

Also, Shane Miller, a 6-foot-4 guard from Moscow, has signed with...read more

Welcome to the new TreasureValleySports.com.

Be sure to add the new address http://www.idahopress.com/sections/treasurevalleysports/ to your bookmarks. The new setup is intended to provide you with more information.

With that said, we are still experiencing a few hiccups as we transition over to the new system. If you do experience any problems, please let me know. But with this new site, we will...read more

Sorry if our page wouldn't load for you this morning. Things seem to be working better now.

I was hoping to post this last night, but didn't have a chance. It is my column in Saturday's paper (I went to the Columbia-Kuna and Vallivue-Eagle games last night) and some of Friday's standouts.

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Columbia found its offense Friday night.

It took a few possessions for the Wildcats, but the spread offense led by quarterback Matt Kinn and running back Bryant Post hit its stride in a 42-14 victory over the fifth-ranked Kuna Kavemen.

Columbia (1-0 4A SIC, 2-1 overall) stumbled out of the gate with three turnovers, but when things started working, the offense was a thing of beauty.

Wildcat Nation witnessed in the first half both what makes coaches want to pull their hair out and why Columbia could be the most explosive team in the conference. There were the three turnovers that made you groan, and then the three touchdowns that will now make the rest of the conference stand up and take notice.

Post had a 2-yard run for Columbia’s first score, culminating a drive late in the first quarter that showed an undefeated Kuna team it was in for a fight.

Kinn went to work late in the second quarter, looking like he was going to scramble for a big gain. Instead, just before crossing the line of scrimmage, he found Ky Tucker for a 56-yard touchdown pass.

Five minutes later, Kinn went big again. This time, a 43-yard touchdown pass to Derek Dodel for a 21-0 lead at halftime.

Columbia’s offense found its groove in the first half thanks to its defense. After giving up big games to Vallivue and Borah to start the season, the Wildcats “D” was stout — to say the least.

Kavemen running back Justin Mashburn had no luck running inside or outside. And the Kuna air attack could never get going with quarterback Jordan Galloway finding no time to set up.

A dominant performance all the way around for Todd Cady’s Wildcats.

While Columbia found its offense Friday night, Vallivue kept searching for a defensive stop.

The Falcons showed once again they have the offense to compete in the 5A SIC in its 42-41 loss to the Eagle. The Mustangs had no answer for Drew Wright, Van Drumgoole, Parker Hamilton, JJ Hyde and the rest of the Falcons (2-1) offense, but then Vallivue had no answer for Eagle (1-1) either.

It was clear that the game would go down to the wire, and it did, with the Mustangs taking the lead with 25 seconds remaining in the game.

Friday it was a blocked extra point that ultimately did in Vallivue. But if they hope to contend for the playoffs, the Falcons need to find their defense.

Here are a few of Friday's standout performances: Drew Wright Vallivue running back Wright had 35 rushes for 231 yards and three touchdowns.

Mike Messier Caldwell receiver Messier caught four passes, including a 73-yard touchdown.

Quaid Morris Nampa quarterback Morris was 3-of-6 passing for 30 yards, 25 rushes for 181 yards, two TDs

Matt Kinn Columbia quarterback Kinn went 6-for-8 passing, no interceptions for 171 yards, three TDs, and had 15 rushes for 69 yards.

Bryant Post Columbia running back Post rushed 19 times for 224 yards and two touchdowns.

Rodrigo Villarreal Homedale cornerback Villarreal had two interceptions, one returned for a 101-yard touchdown.

Ethan Sauer Marsing running back Sauer had 16 rushes, 218 yards and a touchdown.

Mark Finley Parma running back Finley had 18 rushes, 81 yards, and 2-for-3 passing with a 35-yard touchdown.

Tyler Rogers Nampa Christian running back Rogers had 18 rushes, 125 yards, and a 63-yard TD pass....read more

In an effort to beef up our Links page on TreasureValleySports.com, I spent a few minutes the other day looking for area Web sites featuring coverage of high school sports.

Like I said, I didn’t spend much time, but I found five. They included the Mountain Home New’s Web site as well as sites dedicated to Columbia, Nampa Christian, Skyview and Timberline high schools. I will continue to look for more Web sites like these when I have time. But if you know of any other Treasure Valley sport’s sites that haven’t made our Links page yet, please let me know. I hope it becomes a one-stop shop for you high school sports fans.

Now you are probably wondering about the title of my post. While searching through Google, I came across the Wikipedia page for Nampa Christian. It reminded me that football season is right around the corner. You can see why by clicking here. (Hint: Check out the last sentence under the heading New High School.)