Written by: Lucas Gebhart
They didn’t know it at the time, but Post Falls was one point away from a state playoff appearance a season ago.
The Trojans had a slow start to the 2021 season, but picked things up when it mattered the most, winning four of their last five. The lone loss came to Lewiston, but that was the one they needed the most. The one-point loss was just enough to keep Post Falls out of the postseason, despite finishing with a record over .500.
The 5A Inland Empire typically send two teams to the state playoffs. The problem last year was three teams finished the season tied for first place with a 2-1 conference record.
With only two spots in the state playoff bracket saved for the north, one team was going to be left out, and that team was Post Falls. The ironic part about it is the Trojans finished with the exact same record in both 2021 and 2020 -- 5-4 overall and 2-1 in conference play. It was good enough to grab a bid to state in 2020, but not in 2021.
That’s the sort of the lifestyle Post Falls has been living for the past several years. The Trojans have been consistently average for the better part of the last decade.
In each of the last eight years, Post Falls has finished with a conference record of 2-1, or 1-2. Their overall record has also sat on one side or the other of the .500 mark in seven of last eight seasons. The “.500-ish” record has been good enough for a playoff spot five times.
But with Coeur d’Alene being, well, Coeur d’Alene and Lewiston returning a lot of key pieces from last year’s 7-win team, it could be a dangerous place for Post Falls to be once again.
The 2022 schedule will conclude with the three games that ultimately will decide Post Falls’ fate. The Trojans close the year at Lake City and will host Lewiston and Coeur d’Alene in the two weeks prior.
They’ll probably need to win at least two once again this year, but like last year, it still may not be enough. The Trojans needed to win all three last year and that could very well be the case again this year.