I’ve been racking up plenty of mileage on my trusty Hyundai Elantra (aka the White Horse) the past week.
I drove to Granite Falls yesterday to check in with the Tigers football team and first-year head coach Tracey Bechtholdt. The night before, I was in Lake Stevens watching the Vikings and talking with their head coach, Tom Tri.
Since last Tuesday (Aug. 18), I’ve been to 14 football practices: Stanwood, Mariner, Marysville-Pilchuck, Jackson, Archbishop Murphy, Kamiak, Lakewood, Cascade, Everett, Snohomish, Monroe, Arlington, Lake Stevens and Granite Falls.
Why? It’s so I can get a good sense of who our top players and teams will be this season. Along the way, I’ve stumbled onto quite a few good story ideas and notes. Hopefully I’ll be able to follow up on most of those this fall.
Are you looking forward to the football season as much as I am? Remember, our 2009 Herald high school football previews come out next week. We will publish our Western Conference section (Wesco North, Wesco South, Wesco 3A) on Wednesday, Sept. 2, and our Cascade Conference/small-school section will be out the next day.
Our preview sections will include coaches’ polls for all our local leagues. But what about statewide rankings? Here are a few you should check out.
Coaches Aid preseason football rankings
Highlights: No. 1s are Skyline (4A), Bellevue (3A), Lynden (2A), Royal (1A), Colfax (2B), Cusisk (1B) … Local interest: No. 7 Jackson (4A), No. 10 Glacier Peak (3A), No. 3 Archbishop Murphy (2A).
Tacoma News Tribune 4A preseason football rankings
Highlights: Nos. 1-3 are Skyline, Ferris, Bothell …Local interest: No local teams included in top 10.
Tacoma News Tribune 3A preseason football rankings
Highlights: Nos. 1-3 are Bellevue, Lakes, Union … Local interest: No. 7 Glacier Peak.
Tacoma News Tribune 2A preseason football rankings
HighlightsNos. 1-2 are Lynden and Prosser … No. 3 is Archbishop Murphy, which plays Lynden Sept. 5 in an intriguing season opener at Qwest Field.
If I find any other preseason team rankings, I will add them to this blog. Feel free to contact me if you know of any other preseason polls.
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