THE GORGE — Athletes from Columbia, Hood River Valley and The Dalles high schools — and those from smaller Gorge schools — will put their late summer preparations to the test this week, when interscholastic competitions in Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) and Oregon Schools Activities Association (OSAA) sponsored athletic leagues begin.
Hundreds of high school athletes opened official workouts last week: the first day of practice for high schools in Oregon was Aug. 18; Washington high school sports practices began Aug. 20 for football and Aug. 25 for volleyball, cross country and girls soccer.
Hood River Valley’s boys and girls soccer teams will be the first to play games this week: the Eagle girls are scheduled to host Class 6A Century High of Hillsboro at 7 p.m. Aug. 28; the HRV boys will play at 6A Lincoln High of Portland, also at 7 p.m.
Hood River Valley will play in a football jamboree on Aug. 29, hosting Crook County. The Cowboys are playing in the OSAA Class 5A this season, moving up from 4A. HRV and long-time head Coach Caleb Sperry will compete in yet another revamped football league in 2025 — although it’s still under the listing of Special District 1. The league includes Putnam, Gresham (6A), La Salle Prep, Milwaukie, Centennial, David Douglas (6A), and Parkrose.
Hood River, a state playoff team in 2024 at 7-3, opens its season on Sept. 5 against Reynolds at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham.
The Dalles, under second-year coach Nate Timmons — a former player at the school — opens its season against 3A Umatilla at 7 p.m. on Aug. 29 at Sid White Field on the Wahtonka campus. The Riverhawks were 3-6 in 2024 playing in Special District 2. They will be in Special District 5 this year, along with Ontario, Pendleton/Nixyaawii, La Grande, and Baker.
Umatilla was 1-7 in 2024 and lost 20-6 to The Dalles in the football opener for both schools a season ago.
Columbia will play an independent football schedule this season. Columbia will play two Trico 1A teams — Fort Vancouver on Oct. 24 and Stevenson on Oct. 31. The Bruins, coached by Shawn Friese, will play in a football jamboree at 6 p.m. on August 29, hosting Goldendale, and then open their season at 6 p.m. Sept. 5 against Hoquiam in White Salmon.
Volleyball teams also begin play this week: Hood River, under first-year Coach Emily Curtis (a former HRV player) is at an Aug. 28 jamboree at Milwaukie High; The Dalles, last year’s 4A state tournament consolation champion, plays at a jamboree on the 28th at Corbett; and Columbia begins its season on Sept. 9 at Battle Ground High School.
Hood River and The Dalles cross country teams will compete this week, as well. HRV will compete at the Night Meet, Aug. 29 at Wilsonville High School. The Dalles will host its fund-raising Riverhawk Run on August 30 at Columbia Gorge Discovery Center. Columbia High’s season opener is Sept. 5 in the Steve Maas Run a Ree at Hudson’s Bay High in Vancouver.
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