Mike Vlahovich

Deer Park's Doug McGill and Lakeside's Brian Dunn are new as Great Northern League football coaches. That the GNL is itself new further complicates things for them.

Shadle Park football It didn't take long for coach Mark Hester to have Shadle Park followers recalling the good old days. The Highlanders won three league titles in a row from 1979 and 1981 and added a title a decade later. There were down periods, including four straight losing seasons until last year, Hester's second. Shadle Park compiled a 6-2 record and a second-place Greater Spokane League finish.

North Central football Youth are being served in the North Central football program, which is encouraging for second-year coach Wes Hobbs. "The number of sophomores and freshmen turning out is by far above the year before," he said. "It's a step in the right direction. If they stick with it, we can make things happen." There are some 33 athletes in each class who are joining the eight veteran athletes that are the nucleus of this year's squad.

When the shouting's done, Jim Clements' Knights should be No. 1 in the Frontier. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

Mead football The coaching staff at Mead High School may be different, but don't expect the results to change. "We're the defending champions," said new coach Bob McCray. "This program was left in great shape. The staff's role - they know it and I know it - is to continue." McCray, a former college assistant who also assisted at Mead, speaks with a missionary's zeal reminiscent of track coach Gary Baskett.

Lewis and Clark's Luke Bowman gets ready for a wet and wild season in the Greater Spokane League. The Tigers open their season Friday against Gonzaga Prep. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review

Cheney Cheney's football team will use sophomores to replace a line that was manned last season with veteran two- and three-year players. Coach Tom Oswald seems unperturbed. "We held our own Friday in the jamboree against Lewis and Clark and Shadle Park," he said. "We're going to be fine."

Mt. Spokane-Mead football For 15 years Mike McLaughlin was head football coach at Mead High School. He built his team into a league power, winning 102 out of 145 games. Now, the man who coached eight straight playoff teams is starting over. McLaughlin and his entire staff moved to Mt. Spokane-Mead, the district's new high school. There are no seniors. The Wildcats will play an independent schedule, beginning Friday night in Coeur d'Alene.

High school football, for those with difficulty waiting, is back. University High School gets things going in the Greater Spokane League debut against Shadle Park at 5 p.m. today at Joe Albi Stadium. The Highlanders, rebuilding their offensive line, finished last season with a 6-2 record and placed second in the tautly contested race.

Gonzaga Prep football Gonzaga Prep's football team faces a dilemma. The Bullpups return a group of superb players, a reason they're among the league favorites. They also lack the kind of depth that coach Don Anderson says breeds in-house competition and improvement. "We have some seniors who are playing for a third year and are counting on them," said Anderson. "But our style is two-platoon football, and we've been kind of hampered getting numbers on the field."

1. Rogers High football player Jason Turner mans a lawnmower at a lot on East Boone Saturday as he and his teammates prepared property for Habitat for Humanity. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review 2. Chris Patterson and his Rogers High School football teammates spent Saturday clearing lots for Habitat for Humanity. Patterson is shown cutting and clearing brush at Fourth and Pittsburg. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review

With the look of a winner, West Valley's Gabby McClintock, right, breaks for the ball during practice. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

GSL soccer A year ago, a young University High girls soccer team came within a game of reaching the state playoffs. Injuries beset Central Valley and cost the Bears their season. This year, both teams are a blend of veterans and promising youngsters who are preparing for the upcoming Greater Spokane League season.

Former University High School baseball players are invited to play in an alumni game, Sept. 20. The game is a fund raiser in order to raise money for outdoor batting cages near the school's baseball field. "Hopefully we can get kids from all different years to play," said Titan coach Don Ressa. "We'll have a get-together afterwards."

The huge offensive line at East Valley includes No. 187, Ryan Stengle. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

Three new coaches will lead North Side teams into next week's Greater Spokane League girls soccer season. Two of them coached boys teams last spring, the third is no stranger to his team. Tim Cox, whose stunning North Central soccer debut included a second-round boys state playoff appearance and who is chess club adviser, has accepted the girls coaching post. "I'm in-building, have a continuing contract, had a successful boys season, and I impacted a lot of kids," he said of the decision.

There is something new about Greater Spokane League volleyball with the addition of Mt. Spokane to the schedule. But the end result will be the same old thing. Last year's top finishers, led by favored Ferris and including third-place state placer Mead, expect to finish high again. And longtime power Shadle Park, despite its youth, could well return to the playoff picture after a two-year absence. Mt. Spokane, with four inexperienced juniors and four sophomores on its first varsity team, will be along for the ride.

A new league means new opportunity for Freeman football. The Scotties are part of the three-team Northeast A League, which some have dubbed the "KFC League" for members Kettle Falls, Freeman and Colfax. "We were only one game from being .500 while we were in the old NEA," said Freeman coach John Custer. "This could be a good step for us. We should be pretty dang competitive here."

Players like Preston Cross, 6-foot-7 and 341 pounds, give the Bears dominance at the line of scrimmage. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

Two narrow early losses set the tone of University High's 1996 football season. The Titans lost a last-ditch three-point game to Ferris and, after missing early scoring opportunities, lost by a touchdown on a pair of time-consuming Lewis and Clark drives. Nine regulars return, joined by newcomers mindful of what they went through last season. They lead a crew determined to change the outcome.

West Valley football coach Steve Kent is telling his team that it's not just a nine-game season "It's an 18-game season," he said. "We don't have enough seniors (to realistically be a Frontier League title contender). This is a two-year plan." The Eagles have only a handful of seniors and few linemen on the roster. But they do have an exceptionally talented junior class, particularly in the skilled positions. They'll be asked to carry the burden when the season begins next weekend.

Justin Padden now plays for the University of Dallas. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

Welcome to the new Frontier and a regional tie with the Mid-Valley League in order to determine state qualifiers. Now that the Frontier League has dwindled to four schools because of the state's new enrollment guidelines, squads from East Valley, West Valley, Cheney and Clarkston will play each other twice this fall in league. The Frontier football champion will be the new 3A league's lone state playoff entrant following the six-team league slate.

The East Valley cheerleaders celebrate their success at the camp at EWU. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review