2024 was a sports year filled with momentous records, historic seasons, and outrageous losses.
Lapuwai’s Keith Whynot, now at Washington State University, and his all-time scoring record for Idaho Prep basketball have earned a spot in the Tribune and Daily News’ top sports stories of 2024.
Let’s look at No. 2 to 10.
Part 2: Idaho and Washington State lose football coaches days apart.
Palouse college football coaches Jason Eck of Idaho and Jake Dickert of Washington State started their new jobs four days apart in December.
After leading the Idaho Vandals to three consecutive Football Championship Subdivision playoff appearances, Eck left Moscow for Albuquerque, New Mexico to take over the New Mexico State football program.
Four days later, Dickert hopped on a private plane from Pullman Moscow Regional Airport and took command of Wake Forest.
Eck’s Mountain West job has been greeted with much more fanfare than Dickert’s Atlantic Coast Conference post, as Eck took over the day after the Vandals lost to Montana State in the FCS quarterfinals, and he was recently hired by Idaho It capped off three of the most successful seasons in history.
Dickert’s departure comes nine days before the Cougars participate in the Holiday Bowl.
WSU’s third-year coach won eight games in 2024, but ended his tenure with three straight losses by a combined seven points to three teams with losing records.
The University of Idaho hired former assistant Thomas Ford Jr. as its next head coach on Dec. 18, and WSU hired South Dakota State coach Jimmie Rodgers on Dec. 28.
No. 3: Kendrick football dynasty maintains top ranking with fourth consecutive state title.
The Kendrick football team has never shied away from competition, consistently putting together one of the strongest non-conference eight-man schedules in the state. The Tigers faced an even tougher situation in 2024 after moving up to Class 2A.
Despite the jump, Kendrick’s football dynasty is alive and well as the team clinched its fourth straight state championship with a resounding 50-14 victory over Butte County (Arco) on Nov. 22 at the P1FCU Kibby Dome. Obtained.
Kendrick started the season 6-0 overall and extended his winning streak to 31 games over three years.
The Tigers outscored their opponents 396-42 in their first six games. However, on October 18, the team’s winning streak ended with a 30-18 loss to Logos of Moscow, a Class 2A White Pine League opponent.
Kendrick (11-1) didn’t flinch again. The Tigers won five straight games, including a come-from-behind 52-26 victory over the Knights in the state semifinals on Nov. 16 at Kibby Dome.
Kendrick was led by senior Sawyer Hewett, who signed with the University of Idaho and was named Class 2A Player of the Year after gaining 1,305 all-purpose yards and scoring 29 touchdowns. Coach Zane Hobart won the Coach of the Year award, and junior receiver Lali Loetziender had 887 receiving yards and 16 TDs.
All-state linemen Brock Breuer, Wyatt Cook (seven sacks) and linebacker Xavier Carpenter anchored Kendrick’s defense.
No. 4: Lewis-Clark State University baseball misses NAIA World Series for first time since 1990s
Lewis-Clark State University baseball and its history of hosting and often winning or competing for the NAIA World Series has been a cultural touchstone for the Tribune readership over the past several decades.
So it was something of a shock to the Valley’s system this spring when the Warriors missed out on qualifying for the series, setting up the first LC State Free NAIA Championship since 1998.
The Warriors, who finished the regular season with 16 straight wins, faltered at critical points and went 3-4 in the postseason. LCSC first lost to Bushnell twice in the Cascade Conference Tournament, then suffered back-to-back losses to Arizona Christian and UBC before ending the season in the NAIA opener. All games were played at Harris Field, the team’s proud home base. .
No. 5: Clarkston’s Joel Dahmen leads the PGA Tour into the bubble with a great finish in the final tournament of the year.
Fans of Clarkston professional golfer Joel Dahmen should have been looking forward to an exciting end to the PGA Tour fall season.
Dahmen had to sink a 5-foot par putt, eagle a sand wedge and finish the final round with a 6-under 64 at the RSM Classic in November to qualify, but Dahmen delivered on all fronts.
As a result, he narrowly finished within the top 125 in the FedEx Cup Fall Rankings and was able to retain his full PGA Tour card for another year.
Damen was thrilled to hear he made it to the bubble, and it means his fans and family will get to see him compete on the biggest stage for at least another year.
No. 6: Idaho football is undefeated at home for the first time in 28 years and reaches 10 wins for the first time since 1993.
In the three years that Jason Eck coached the Idaho State football team, the Vandals developed a habit of breaking long droughts. The tradition dates back to the days of professional wrestling’s “Monday Night Wars,” when Nitro defeated Raw.
That trend continued this season for UI, which won 10 games for the first time since 1993. The Vandals also went undefeated at home (6-0) for the first time in 28 years.
Idaho State qualified for the Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs for the third consecutive year. However, the season ended with a 52-19 loss to Big Sky rival and top-ranked Montana State in the quarterfinals on December 13th.
7th place: Clarkston’s Rebecca Skinner transfers to WSU and surpasses 100 career goals.
