THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: A year of new numbers in Idaho high school sports

Here we go. 

Another year of high school (and North Idaho College) sports begins in earnest this weekend. 

Every year there seem to be minor changes that take a little time getting used to. 

But this year, changes are plentiful, and a bit confusing. 

So we’re here to try to help. 

Or confuse you even more.

Here we go. 

CLASSIFICATIONS: This year, the names of the classifications were changed slightly, and the enrollment limits bumped up slightly, causing some shifting of teams from one classification to another. 

For years, it was 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A Division I and 1A Division II. 1A split into two divisions some two decades ago. 

Now, it’s 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A and 1A. 

Most schools simply “bumped up” a division, with the name change in classifications. 

Get used to hearing that Coeur d’Alene, Lake City and Post Falls are 6A schools, when they’ve been 5A schools for years.  

Lakeland, Sandpoint and Moscow, formerly in 4A, are now 5A — as is Lewiston, which was with the bigger schools who are now in 6A, but was able to drop down due to the change in enrollment numbers. 

For the current two-year classification cycle, 6A is for schools with 1,400 students and up in grades 9-12, 5A is 700-1,399, 4A is 350-699, 3A is 175-349, 2A is 90-174, and 1A is 89 students and below. 

By comparison, during the last two-year cycle, 5A was for schools with 1,281 students and up, 4A was 640-1,280, 3A was 320-639, 2A was 160-319, 1A Division 1 was 85-159, and 1A Division II was 84 students and below. 

Timberlake, Bonners Ferry and Coeur d’Alene Charter are in 4A, all “up” from 3A. 

St. Maries, Kellogg, Priest River, Grangeville and Orofino are in 3A, all “up” from 2A. 

2A consists of Genesis Prep, Lakeside, Wallace, which were 1A Division I last year, and Clark Fork, which really moved up a classification, having played in 1A Division II previously. 

1A consists of Kootenai, Mullan and Coeur du Christ, which is in its first year as a full member of the Idaho High School Activities Association. 

HOWEVER ... 

This year for the first time, schools were allowed to petition up or down in each team sport, based on their recent records against similar-sized schools. A school could be 6A in one sport and 5A in another sport. 

(That sound you heard was local high athletic directors banging their heads against the wall, trying to schedule for each team where the leagues they play in may have a different number of teams.) 

So ... 

Post Falls is 5A in boys soccer and girls soccer — and 6A in all other sports. 

Moscow is 4A in football (joining Timberlake and Bonners Ferry in the Intermountain League in that sport) — and 5A in all other sports. 

Lakeside, Wallace and Clark Fork, all 2A schools, all petitioned down in football, where they will compete with Coeur du Christ in a 1A league. 

(In case you were wondering about Kootenai and Mullan in football ... Kootenai is now in a co-op with St. Maries, athletes from both schools combining for one team. Even with the addition of Kootenai’s students to the enrollment count, St. Maries is able to remain in the same division it has been in — only the name changed. For years, Mullan and St. Regis (Mont.) have had a co-op in football, playing in the 1A Division II North Star League, and competing in the Idaho state playoffs. This year they’re continuing the co-op, but playing in a league in Montana instead, trying to qualify for the Montana state playoffs.) 

AND THEN there was NIC. 

Just when we were all getting used to the Cardinal teams playing in the regionally based Northwest Athletic Conference, this year all NIC teams have returned to the NJCAA, where they played for more than four decades. 

During the last school year, the Cardinal men’s and women’s basketball teams transitioned back into the NJCAA and the Scenic West Athletic Conference. 

This year, the NIC volleyball, soccer and softball teams join them in the SWAC, after one last season in the NWAC in 2023-24. 

NIC’s wrestling program never left the NJCAA. 

So, if you noticed something on social media about NWAC soccer friendlies and reflexively clicked on it to see when NIC’s teams played ... 

... Well, you weren’t alone. 

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @CdAPressSports.