North Idaho youth teams shine in lacrosse, soccer and softball wins
A 6-0 softball run that allowed just three runs, plus soccer and lacrosse titles, showed North Idaho’s youth pipeline is widening fast.
The loudest number from North Idaho’s latest youth-sports week came from the softball diamond: the Coeur d’Alene Crush 16U team went 6-0 in Post Falls and outscored opponents 73-3. The team piled up eight home runs, including a grand slam, while throwing three no-hitters and striking out 41 batters, a dominant stretch that made the 29th annual Coeur d’Alene Crush Tournament the clearest snapshot yet of how deep the local pipeline has become.
That tournament at Post Falls High School was no casual showcase. The May 29-31 event drew 12U and 16U/18U divisions, capped each age group at eight teams and carried a $725 entry fee, and it filled before the first pitch. For families across Kootenai County, those details matter: they show there is enough interest, and enough talent, to fill brackets and keep teams playing against stronger competition.
Soccer delivered the same message. Sting SC’s 2009 girls won their second Idaho State Cup championship in three years, beating Idaho Rush 4-3 on penalty kicks after a tight final on Sunday. That victory sent them to the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships, set for July 13-23 in Murfreesboro and Smyrna, Tennessee, where Idaho’s top girls teams will compete on the national stage. Idaho Youth Soccer says State Cup is a direct pathway to those events, and champions who advance have their entry fee paid by the Idaho Youth Soccer Association.
Another Sting group added to the day’s haul. The Sting Soccer Club 2013 Girls Academy team won the Idaho State Cup championship in Boise after another penalty-kick finish, reinforcing how often North Idaho clubs are reaching the state’s biggest moments and closing them out under pressure.
The soccer results were not isolated, either. BVB IA Idaho’s Boys U14 team beat Washington East Surf Soccer Club 3-1 in Post Falls and finished its league season 3-2-1. In lacrosse, the North Idaho Youth Lacrosse Boys 7/8 Falcons Black Team took first place in the Silver Division at LaxFest at Spokane’s Dwight Merkel Sports Complex, 5701 N. Assembly St., another early-summer result that showed the sport’s grassroots base is taking hold beyond one club or one field.
Taken together, the wins point to more than a strong weekend. From Spokane to Post Falls to Boise, North Idaho teams are entering bigger brackets, surviving penalty kicks and overwhelming opponents once they get there. That is what a healthy youth sports system looks like in real time: participation that fills tournaments, clubs that keep producing winners and families willing to travel for a shot at the next level.
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