High school football games will continue despite strike threat

Thu., Sept. 3, 2015

By Greg Lee

Although nothing official was announced Thursday, the cloud of doubt surrounding whether city high schools would be allowed to play season-opening football games lifted when district officials and the teachers union reportedly signed off. “I’ve instructed the Spokane (athletic directors) to move forward in contacting their non-league opponents and plan on honoring the agreements even though we haven’t heard anything official yet,” Greater Spokane League secretary Herb Rotchford said Thursday afternoon. “We just can’t sit on our hands and wait any longer.” The sticking point in reaching an agreement centered on liability, according to sources who requested not to be identified. If teachers go through with their threat to strike today, coaches would be working without a contract. Rotchford was convinced an agreement on sports events would be reached – even as early as Wednesday afternoon. But both sides were still hammering out details through Thursday morning as he awaited official confirmation. The agreement allows Ferris, Lewis and Clark, North Central, Shadle Park and Rogers to play their opening games, beginning tonight. Lewis and Clark is in the lone game at Albi Stadium where the Tigers take on Lake City. North Central travels to Lewiston and Rogers visits Eastmont near Wenatchee. On Saturday, Ferris travels to the University of Washington to face Olympia as part of the Emerald City Kickoff Classic, and Shadle Park is at Albi to take on Lakeside of Seattle. The fear of a strike had many longtime GSL followers harkening back to 1979 when a Spokane teachers strike forced schools to postpone several games. Once the strike ended, the league had to make up the suspended games so teams would be eligible for the state playoffs. Teams had to play twice a week – on Tuesdays and Fridays – for four weeks until they caught up. Now, the heightened awareness of head injuries would likely make that option questionable.

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