If all of the pieces fall into place, Toppenish High School athletes could be competing against other schools in their league as soon as Feb. 15. The South Central Athletic Conference’s target date for interscholastic competition may or may not be reached, given the stubbornly high COVID-19 infection rates in Washington’s south-central region (still averaging... Continue Reading →
New WIAA guidelines re-open door to high school sports this month
There will be sports at Selah High School this month — practices, at least. Athletic Director Jake Davis said new COVID-19 safety guidelines issued Jan. 5 by state public health officials have made it easier for school officials to understand how to proceed. Additional guidance from the Washington Athletic Activities Association (WIAA) on Jan. 12... Continue Reading →
Yakima Valley Athletes Return to Practice, but Season Disruptions Continue
High school sports returned to the Yakima Valley over the past month, but just like that, everything is up in the air again. When the county moved into phase two of the state’s Safe Start plan on Oct. 13, football, volleyball, girls soccer and cross country teams from Yakima to Sunnyside were allowed to practice... Continue Reading →
Selah High Fall Sports Teams Finally Able to Take the Field
Fall sports are back at Selah High School — on a limited basis, anyway. The first scheduled events for the football, volleyball, girls soccer and cross country teams aren’t until March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But since Yakima County recently moved into phase two of the state’s Safe Start plan, dozens of Selah High... Continue Reading →
Pro, College Football Have Shown Us That Sports Can Still Be Safe
Looking back at my prediction a couple months ago that the NFL season would be scrapped due to COVID-19, boy am I glad I was wrong. Like many of you, I’ve been loving the first month of the pro football season, thanks in large part to the 5-0 start by the Seattle Seahawks. We’ve seen... Continue Reading →
Toppenish High Sports Teams Hope to Resume Practices in October
Like every other athletic director in Central Washington, Toppenish High School A.D. Brett Stauffer is ready for some football. And volleyball, and soccer, and cross country. Top-Hi is one of more than 1,000 high schools around the state being forced to sit out the fall sports season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But with case... Continue Reading →
Selah High Athletes Still Waiting, But Hope to Return This Month
School is back in session and the leaves are beginning to turn. But one thing is conspicuously missing from our lives this fall: high school sports. In most years, the Selah High School football team would be wrapping up its non-conference schedule, preparing for CWAC play to begin. The Vikings’ volleyball and girls soccer teams... Continue Reading →
Canceling sports, closing schools are the only way out of this mess
Who could’ve imagined back in March that we might have to go an entire year without high-school sports? First, the spring season was wiped out due to COVID-19. Then came fall sports. Now we’re all collectively crossing our fingers that there will be a winter sports season. But, at this point, would you put any... Continue Reading →
As dominos continue to fall, the end of fall sports appears near
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Sports fans are going to have a lot of free time on our hands this fall. Some readers are probably getting tired of my doom-and-gloom predictions for the fall season. If you’re an optimist, I can’t say I blame you. But optimism requires a reality check once... Continue Reading →
Sports begin to emerge from hibernation, but at what risk?
It’s good to see sports starting to make a comeback. Players, coaches and fans have been going through some serious competition withdrawals during this quarantine spring, and we’re all ready for some live action. Over in Selah, the Yakima Valley Pepsi Pak has played about a dozen baseball games over the past two weeks against... Continue Reading →