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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Dave Nichols: The busiest week in fall sports playoffs

Austin Tomlinson (7) and the Central Valley Bears are in control of the GSL 4A playoff chase. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)

This week we’ll fill this space with a hodgepodge of happenings at district, regional and state playoffs across Washington and Idaho. But first, a personal note.

I just wanted to take a very quick moment to thank each and every one of you – fans, coaches, administrators and media – that has called, emailed, reached out on social media or have come up in person at one of the games that I’ve covered thus far.

It’s kind of amazing the impact the paper has still today on high school sports, whether in print or online, and I’m surprised and humbled how quickly you’ve taken me in as that voice for our paper.

On to the games…

Football

In the Greater Spokane League, Central Valley got past University – barely – 49-42 on Friday to stay unbeaten in 4A, while Gonzaga Prep handled Ferris 48-7 to stay a game back at 3-1. They solidify holds on the top two seeds to District 8 playoffs Nov. 3-4 in 4A.

The third seed is still up for grabs. Mead and upstart Lewis and Clark are both 2-2 in league. Mead is at G-Prep on Friday while LC plays CV at Albi Stadium. Meanwhile, U-Hi looms at 1-3 and hosts Ferris, so it’s possible it could come to a three-way tiebreaker for that last spot.

In 3A, Mt. Spokane (6-2 overall) and Shadle Park (3-4) are tied at 2-0 in league and play on Thursday at Albi to decide the top seed and a pass into the Week 10 playoffs, while the loser will have to face the Mid-Columbia Conference second-place team on Oct. 31 on four days rest for the other berth to the playoffs.

West Valley (8-0 overall) handled East Valley 28-12 on Friday to move to 3-0 and secure the Great Northern League No. 1 spot in the 2A crossovers on Nov. 3 against the Central Washington Athletic Conference fourth seed. Pullman (4-3, 2-1) hosts East Valley (3-4, 2-1) on Friday to determine the GNL’s second seed and a date against CWAC No. 3.

In Idaho, Coeur d’Alene’s 59-29 win over Post Falls secured the Inland Empire League championship and the bye week through first round of state that comes with it. The Vikings (7-2, 3-0) will host the winner of Friday’s Madison (6-3)-Meridian (4-5) tilt on Nov. 3 or 4 in the quarterfinals.

Post Falls (8-1, 2-1) hosts Rocky Mountain (7-2) on Friday at 7 p.m. in a first-round clash. The winner travels to Eagle the following weekend.

Sandpoint earned a bye in the 4A playoffs while Lakeland takes on Idaho Falls in the first round on Friday. Kellogg and Priest River qualified for the 3A playoffs and St. Maries in 2A.

Soccer

The District 8 girls tournament starts today, with G-Prep hosting U-Hi in a play-in game with the winner playing at Chiawana on Wednesday. Central Valley earned the GSL top seed and hosts a game on Wednesday, while LC, the No. 2 GSL seed, travels to Richland the same day.

Idaho state playoffs took place over the weekend, and Coeur d’Alene Charter beat Shelley 1-0 in the 3A state title game for its second consecutive title and third in four years. Freshman Sarah Hines scored the game’s only goal in the 62nd minute.

Lake City finished fourth in 5A, Sandpoint lost to Bishop Kelly in the 4A title game and Timberlake fell to Community School in the 3A consolation final.

On the boys side, Post Falls fell to Borah 3-2 in the 5A title game, while Coeur d’Alene lost in a consolation match to Mountain View. In 4A, Sandpoint settled for fourth place while in 3A, Bonners Ferry won the consolation final in a shootout over Sugar-Salem for fifth place.

Volleyball

There’s a full slate of final GSL regular-season games today that will sort out the five seeds that will go to the 4A District 8 playoffs, which start with play-in games on Wednesday. The only thing we know going in is that Mead (8-0) won the regular-season title and the first seed. U-Hi and G-Prep have two league losses, while CV is 5-3.

The 3A District 8 tournament starts on Wednesday as North Central plays at Kamiakin in a play-in game. The winner takes on three-seed Shadle Park on Saturday. Fifth-seeded Rogers plays No. 4 Southridge on Saturday, while top seed Mt. Spokane and No. 2 Kennewick await opponents.

In Idaho, Post Falls punched its ticket to 5A state on Saturday with a straight-sets win over Kuna in a play-in game. The Trojans face Eagle on Friday in the first round, while Lake City takes on Rocky Mountain, both at Coeur d’Alene HS.

In 4A, Moscow plays Preston on Friday at Post Falls HS. The 3A tourney is at Lake City HS. Timberlake plays Kimberly and Bonners Ferry faces Snake River in the first round. St. Maries takes on Melba in the 2A tourney at Lakeland HS and in 1ADII at Lewiston HS, Clark Fork plays Watersprings.

Cross country

The 4A and 3A boys and girls regional championship meets are Saturday at Wandermere Golf Course. We’ll preview the regionals on Thursday’s preps page.

On Wednesday, Central Valley boys clinched its first overall team title in school history, knocking off 10-time defending champion North Central. CV is ranked No. 1 in State 4A and No. 17 nationally. Lewis and Clark is ranked second in state. In 3A, North Central is ranked third.

For the girls 4A, LC is ranked third in state, while in 3A North Central is No. 1.

The Idaho state meet is on Saturday at Eagle Island State Park in Eagle.