HIVELIGHTS W/ MAX OSWALD: Daily Bee to receive first ever votes in media poll

If you’re in tune with the sports section of the Daily Bee, last winter I started publishing the media and coaches polls of area teams that made the cut for the best-ranked in the state. 

Sandpoint High and Bonners Ferry High girls basketball along with Clark Fork High boys basketball were consistently receiving votes in these polls. Of course, Sandpoint High football regularly received votes last fall, but I wasn’t aware that these polls existed at that time — that will change this fall. By regularly publishing the polls in the paper, it lets locals know that it’s not just us who think highly of them … they are well respected and recognized all around the state.

I got an email from Michael Lycklama, who has been covering sports at the Idaho Statesman in Boise since 2007, in the early morning hours of Tuesday, July 23. I really had no idea what the email was going to be about. I figured it may even be an auto-generated newsletter sort of thing. To my surprise, I was wrong, and I am glad I was.

“We are searching for another voter in the state football poll from District 1. Would you be interested in filling that role?” Lycklama’s email read.

He then went on to say that Dave Nichols of the Spokesman-Review had dropped out of the football poll, as the Spokesman doesn’t cover much of Idaho football anymore. I quickly replied with a yes and went on to contact longtime Daily Bee sports editor and current Coeur d’Alene Press sports editor, Mark Nelke, about this new development.

I am still often told that Nelke could theoretically run for mayor here in Sandpoint and win. I often hear from coaches and former athletes alike that he made them feel really special. His excellent coverage of local high school sports and more, even decades later, has not been forgotten.

“How long has it been since the Daily Bee got a vote in the media poll?” I texted Mark, not realizing he was on vacation.

Last year’s voters in the statewide football media poll were Gianna Cefalu, KLEW; Race Archibald, Idaho Press; Brandon Baney, IdahoSports.com; Joey DuBois, KPVI; Kole Emplit, KMVT; Adam Engel, Times-News; Brady Frederick, KTVB; Teren Kowatsch, Lewiston Tribune; Michael Lycklama, Idaho Statesman; Mark Nelke, Coeur d'Alene Press; Dave Nichols, Spokesman-Review; Allan Steele, Post Register; Brandon Walton, Idaho State Journal.

The statewide football/basketball media polls are determined by a simple points system based on how each media member ranks the top five teams in each classification. A team receives five points for a first-place vote, four points for a second-place vote and so on down through the fifth-place team, which receives one point. The rankings are set by listing the teams' point totals from highest to lowest. 

I finally got a reply the next week from Nelke saying he does not remember voting in the poll during his tenure at the Bee. He also mentioned that he didn’t think anybody did, or even wanted to, since.

I told Nelke, who has participated in the football poll for many years, that I’d be in on the voting this upcoming year. He said that was really good to hear. I still chat with him often these days, whether it’s about his historical knowledge of past teams, questions about the district and state tournament formats, which seem to change every year, or just about content for the Daily Bee/CDA Press shared Sunday paper.

When I first started this job, I made the short trek down to The Press to talk with Nelke and longtime sports writer Jason Elliott. They gave me pointers on everything from websites to frequent to sources to call. I remember I didn’t have a pen with me that day.

“You don’t have a pen and you call yourself a journalist?” Nelke jokingly said to me. We both laughed.

I owe thanks to Nelke and Elliott, for all their help, and to all the community members who are willing to share their stories with me. The amount of information I am now receiving compared to when I first started in March of 2023, whether it’s historical or current, is tenfold. I have even copied some of Nelke’s writing styles, as you can tell by the bolded letters at the beginning of this paragraph.

Over the past year and a half, I am obligated to think that the Daily Bee sports section is trending in the right direction. I have received very positive feedback about photos and write-ups, and I am very thankful for that. Of course, it’s hard to be perfect, so we slip up every now and then. Whether that’s forgetting a player’s points in the box score or mixing up who recovered a fumble, it’s obviously never intentional.

I am hoping to continue to improve as the sports editor of the Daily Bee. I was satisfied with this past season’s spring sports preview, while last year’s fall edition left much to be desired, in my opinion. I am already working hard to make sure this year’s fall sports preview is a smashing success. Also of note, I did an in-paper winter sports preview last season, but this upcoming year it is slated to be an official special section for the first time ever.

Cheers to hopefully another great year of Sandpoint, Priest River, and Clark Fork high school sports.

Max Oswald is sports editor of The Daily Bee. He can be reached at 610-655-5490 (cell) or via email at moswald@bonnercountydailybee.com.