Fall games get undway Friday with football

CHENEY — It’s still summer until the wee hours of Sept. 23 but it’s fall sports time none-the-less on the West Plains.

Things kick off, literally, Sept. 1 when Greater Spokane League heavyweight, Gonzaga Prep, visits Tom Oswald Field to meet the Cheney Blackhawks for 7 p.m. kickoff.

The Blackhawks hope to rebound from a 3-8 mark in 2022 which included a 58-0 loss at Prep. The Bullpups would finish 9-3 including a three-game run into the state playoffs.

Slow-pitch softball sees its first action Sept. 5 when Rogers visits for a 4 p.m. contest. Soccer also kicks off in a 4 p.m. match hosting West Valley.

Cheney's volleyball squad is off to Clarkston on Sept. 5 and stays on the road for five consecutive matches before its home opener vs. Lewis and Clark on Sept. 26.

Cheney cross country will open Sept. 9 at the Highlander Invitational at Shadle Park in Spokane.

That Medical Lake was even able to begin play is somewhat of a miracle considering the devastation wrought by the Gray Fire.

"The one piece that I have for you is just how awesome it was last Wednesday the 23rd when we were finally able to get volleyball, soccer, XC, and cheer up and running, and have football return to practice after the missed days caused by the fire,' Medical Lake Athletics Director Dawn Eliassen wrote in an email. 

Eliassen said she visited each practice that day and had a chance to see kids laughing and smiling with each other and sharing their experiences. 

"I heard the messages coaches gave to their players about being there for them, being someone to listen to their worries or frustrations, offers of help if there was a need of any kind," she observed. 

The Cardinals (0-10 in 2022) get things rolling with a road non-league football game at Greater Spokane 2-A Rogers (4-6 in 2022) Saturday, Sept. 2, looking to reward second-year head coach Nick Puzycki with his first win as Cardinal coach.

The Pirates visited Holliday Field last year and went away with a 49-6 victory.

Girls’ soccer also starts on Sept. 2 when 2-A East Valley visits ML for a noon kick.

Cardinal volleyball jumps right into Northeast A League play visiting Riverside, Sept. 5.

Medical Lake cross country will first compete at the Runner’s Soul XC Fest in Hermiston, Ore., on Sept. 9.