I feel like a kid in a candy store.
Don’t be alarmed. I’ve been getting this way for the last 22 years. It happens every time the fall high school sports calendar gets unveiled.
Officially, it starts two weeks from Friday … but it’s the unofficial start on Friday that I look forward to: the start of practice.
That’s practice for everyone: football, girls’ volleyball, boys and girls golf (starting Thursday for C.M. Russell and Great Falls High), boys and girls cross country, and boys and girls soccer.
(For the record, boys and girls golf will kick off their year with the Great Falls Invitational this Monday and Tuesday. The soccer season starts play two weeks from Thursday, Aug. 26, volleyball starts in Kalispell Saturday, Aug. 28, while the first cross country meet for local boys and girls isn’t until Friday, Sept. 3 at the Cut Bank Time Trials.)
So, please forgive me if I sound a little giddy here. I took an extra week off last week to clear my mind so I can focus on the task at hand.Â
And, here at the Good Ship Tribune, that task is high school football. I learned that early on – prep football is king here.
Yes, I’ll take time to cover the other prep sports. And fans of the UP Argos and Great Falls Voyagers needn’t worry that I’m skipping out on them.
As I have done every year for the last 22 years (hard to believe this is my 23rd year), I sent out the Tribune Football Questionnaires to every school in our publication’s readership area, which covers everything from Harlowton north to the 49th Parallel, and all points in between U.S. 287 and Grenora, N.D.
That’s a lot of miles when you’re the Last Man Standing. Fortunately, I can pick and choose where I travel to. And that’s an area from the Rockies to the Snowys and from Cascade to Chinook. My apologies to Wolf Point, Culbertson and Plentywood.
Returning to the subject of the football questionnaires, I would be eternally grateful if you coaches would return those to me as soon as humanly possible, along with your 2021 season schedules. I’ve received three as of Wednesday (via fax, email and snail mail).
If you need the contact info again: the fax number is (406) 791-6588. the snail nail address is P.O. Box 5469, Great Falls, MT 59404, and the email addresses are lvernoy@greatfallstribune.com and/or tribsports@greatfallstribune.com.
I talked to GFPS athletic director Mike Henneberg on Wednesday. He said that, as far as COVID-19 protocols are concerned, nothing has been set in stone as of the last school board meeting this past Monday. He said there will likely be a vote on the matter on the 19th, and coaches and athletes are prepared to go with the flow.
“We want to practice good hygiene, diligence, and social distancing,” Henneberg said, “and we’re prepared to adjust at a moment’s notice.”
At this point, mask wearing is optional. No, it’s not quite back to normal … but you can definitely see it from here.
Lee Vernoy covers sports and much more for the Tribune. Email him at lvernoy@greatfallstribune.com or tribsports@greatfallstribune.com, and follow him on Twitter @GFTrib_LVernoy.
