OK, we’ve got a lot topics to touch on this week, being this is the first full week of fall prep sports in Southwest Washington.
But before we get to any of that, we’ve got to take some time to give a shout out to one of our favorite high school events of the year that doesn’t receive a whole lot of attention — the Hudson’s Bay Run-A-Ree.
There are reasons why the Run-A-Ree often races under the radar.
For starters, it’s a cross country meet. And as a former cross country runner, I can attest to the fact that cross country is not a high-profile sport.
And another reason for the event’s low profile: It’s held every year on a Friday. And if you want an event to get overlooked in the fall, hold it on a Friday, when football hogs the spotlight.
But this Friday’s Hudson’s Bay Run-A-Ree is special, because it is the 50th Hudson’s Bay Run-A-Ree.
The Run-A-Ree got its name from jamboree, a preseason scrimmage used in many sports to help teams get ready for the season.
But over the years, the Run-A-Ree has evolved into a major season-opening invitational for many teams in Southwest Washington and beyond.
This year’s Run-A-Ree is slated to include Battle Ground, Evergreen, Heritage, Skyview, Union, Hudson’s Bay, Fort Vancouver, Columbia River, Camas, Hockinson, Mark Morris, R.A. Long, Washougal, Woodland, Kalama, La Center, Ridgefield, White Salmon and Seton Catholic.
The meet begins at 3 p.m. Friday on the grounds around Hudson’s Bay High School.
The 5,000-meter course will include a water jump barrier (always fun) for the boys varsity and JV races, and hay bales for all girls races and the frosh/soph boys.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Run-A-Ree, there will also be an alumni/guest race that will kick off the event at 3 p.m. Don’t worry; no water jumps or hay bales for the alumni race. We don’t want any water-soaked, hay-covered alumni.
New look on web
If you’ve visited the preps page on Columbian.com, you’ll notice a new look.
This is the first step in what we hope will make The Columbian the comprehensive spot on the web for sports information in Southwest Washington.
When you visit the page, you’ll see not only all the stories and photos that are published in The Columbian, but you’ll also see easy links to our high school blog posts and well as our Twitter feed.
It’s a great place to keep up with all the action on Friday Night Football and beyond.
The page can also be easily accessed simply by entering the URL www.360preps.com.
Why 360preps? Well, 360 is the area code for Southwest Washington. You know like, “That’s how we roll here in the 360.”
Of course, the 360 area code also covers pretty much all of Western Washington outside of the Seattle/Tacoma metro area. We’re not sure how our friends in places like Bellingham, Port Angeles and Olympia will think about us commandeering 360preps as the site for Southwest Washington preps. But, hey, we thought it of first.
Also, there’s the idea of 360 being like 360 degrees — all-encompassing preps coverage.
So if you haven’t visited 360preps.com, check it out. We’ll be adding features to the site in the coming weeks and months.
The week ahead
Last week was the start of the fall season in football, golf, and there were even a couple of soccer matches. This week, sports like volleyball, swimming, cross country and tennis join the fun.
And because there are some funky changes involving area leagues, there are some games that actually count in the first week.
On Thursday, the 4A Greater St. Helens League will begin league matches in volleyball and girls soccer.
Because the 4A GSHL is a five-team league this season, the league opted to play a 12-game league season for volleyball and soccer (meaning each team plays the other teams in the league three times). Such a schedule takes time, so that’s why they are getting started now.
The 1A Trico League is an eight-team league in girls soccer, with teams like King’s Way Christian and Seton Catholic joining the mix. Trico teams will start league matches on Tuesday, and play three league matches in the first week (Thursday and Saturday, too).
And even football teams are diving into league action this week. Camas plays Mountain View and Kelso faces Columbia River in the 3A GSHL.
And we have more Saturday football this week.
Union plays its first home game of the season when the Titans face Enumclaw at 1 p.m. at McKenzie Stadium. Skyview also will have its home opener at Kiggins Bowl when the Storm host Coeur d’Alene, Idaho at 7 p.m. Saturday.
In another change from the past, area swim teams will take part in the Southwest Washington Relays, the annual season-opening meet. But this season the meet will take place Thursday at the Propstra Aquatic Center instead of at Longview.
Tim Martinez is the assistant sports editor/prep coordinator for The Columbian. He can be reached by phone at 360-735-4538 or e-mail at tim.martinez@columbian.com.
