A Grip on Sports: Believe it or not, local college and high school football seasons begin in the last week of February

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Today it begins. No, not March Madness. That has to wait until, you know, March. Nor are we referring to golf season. With an inch of snow falling last night, the 40-degree temps aren’t enough to induce golf courses to open. Nope. We’re talking football season. In February.

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• The Greater Spokane League’s condensed football schedule kicks off today. The Big Sky Conference’s quick-don’t-blink-or-you-might-miss-it one does as well. In all the odd things that have occurred in the world of sports over the past 12 months, this might be the oddest.

For now. Wait until high schools are playing basketball in June. But we digress. Back to the snow-covered football fields.

That won’t be the case in Moscow, where the Vandals will host Eastern Washington inside the Kibbie Dome. Even though the Eagles will be without head coach Aaron Best, sidelined under COVID-19 protocols, it will be a celebration for both teams. After all, there was a time not that long ago when playing football seemed a bit of a pipe dream.

In Spokane, just about every high school in the GSL will have a game today, though the stands will be empty. Which means less pomp and circumstance, sure, but also fewer risks as well. And that loud mouth that always seemed to sit near us during my son’s high school games will be yelling at the coaches for their play selection from home. That’s a good thing.

Funny thing about high school football in this area. The “normal” season begins with everyone in the stands wearing shorts. It ends with those same folks so bundled up they look like a snow-covered forest. That tableau may be turned upside down this season – if fans ever get back into the stadiums.

Wearing shorts anywhere would be welcome this late in winter. Not as much as football though.

• Too bad there isn’t an opportunity for a high school game to be on SWX today, but the local sports channel is pretty busy as it is. The Gonzaga women host Loyola Marymount at 1 p.m. and the EWU at Idaho game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. kickoff.

Today’s schedule throughout the television universe is crowded, with the top highlight emanating from the McCarthey Athletic Center – or Phog Allen Fieldhouse.

At 5 p.m. on ESPN, second-ranked Baylor travels to 17th-ranked Kansas in what should be the last, best test for the undefeated Bears until the NCAA Tournament. That game is followed immediately on the flagship with top-ranked Gonzaga hosting Loyola Marymount – or, if the Kansas games goes into three or four overtimes (call it a hunch), then on ESPN News or somewhere.

No matter what, we will watch. After all, it’s the crowning game in a crowning day (and weekend) of pre-March college hoops.

• We watched a little college basketball last night, though we didn’t get to the finish line. And we regret that. Idaho did make it there and for the first time this season, the Vandals finished with more points than the opposition.

After 19 losses, UI picked up a 74-69 victory over Montana State. And it took some perseverance to earn it. We had watched most of the game, but when the Vandals coughed up an 11-point second-half lead and the chore we had put off all day wouldn’t wait any longer, we bailed. Sorry.

Cruising Twitter later, we came across a celebratory picture from what looked to be the Idaho locker room. The smiles told the story. And made us smile as well. Two of the Vandals, Chance Garvin and Gabe Quinnett, played for me over different summers and I am well aware of how hard this season has been on them. It was good to see, for one night at least, they could smile after a game.

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Gonzaga: It’s been a long road. But the regular season ends tonight in the Kennel. It won’t be your usual Senior Night, and, in Loyola, it won’t be the usual weak-inside West Coast Conference opponent. The Lions have size and strength, mainly strength, as Jim Meehan describes in his preview. … Jim also has the key matchup. … The women will also host their Senior Day game, and Jim Allen has a preview of it. In terms of overall record, the past four years have been the most productive in program history. … A couple of blue bloods, thought to be outside looking in, may just make the NCAA tourney. … Elsewhere in the WCC, Saint Mary’s may not be what it usual is, but a win on Senior Night would help BYU’s resume. … Pacific is looking for its third consecutive win.

WSU: Nick Rolovich had to revamp his coaching staff after the short 2020 season due to one assistant heading to the NFL. He’s done that. Theo Lawson has the story. … The baseball team routed Dixie State 19-5 as Kyle Manzardo hit a grand slam. … Around the Pac-12 and college basketball, if this California bill passes, college sports may change forever. … Oregon has a chance to sweep the Bay Area trip. … Oregon State needs to utilize its inside option. … Colorado wouldn’t be where it is without a key addition. … UCLA doesn’t expect to sneak up on the Buffs. … USC needs to start winning again to earn a higher seed. Struggling Utah is a good place to start. … Arizona has a breather with Washington coming to town. … In football news, Washington offensive coordinator John Donovan and I root for the same baseball team: Anyone playing the Yankees. … The new coordinator wants to make Colorado’s defense tougher. … Another Utah receiver is leaving. … The Buffaloes will honor all performance bonuses for coaches. On the end of the spectrum Stanford wrestling is waiting for the guillotine to fall.

EWU: The last time these teams met in Moscow, Idaho held on for a 35-27 upset. The Eagles have their chance at revenge today, 17 months in the making. Ryan Collingwood has a preview as the Big Sky begins its spring season. … The school is examining its athletic future. A consulting group was hired and an analysis is being prepared. Greg Mason has a story on the firm’s preliminary report. … Ryan and Dave Nichols joined Larry Weir yesterday to talk about the start of spring football. We have the latest Press Box podcast. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, this is going to be a weird season. … Weber State has high expectations. The Wildcats start at Idaho State. … Southern Utah travels to Northern Arizona today. … In basketball news, Montana is looking for its first weekend sweep. … Southern Utah routed Northern Arizona last night.

Idaho: As we mentioned above, the Vandals picked up their first win of the men’s basketball season.

Preps: The Idaho State 5A/4A wrestling tournament started and finished yesterday. Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene finished third and fourth, respectively. Jordan Rodriguez has the coverage. … Dave put together a roundup of Friday’s prep action.

Mariners: Justin Dunn has added to his repertoire. That’s a good thing.

Seahawks: According to Larry Stone, three things can happen with the Russell Wilson situation and two of them are bad. … Seattle management has been quiet in all this.

Sounders: The preseason slate will include matches with Tacoma.

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• I’ve had a chance to chat with some high school football coaches this week. If you happen to get to see any of the games, be patient. The execution isn’t going to be what any fan is used to. It’s been a long time since football players had the opportunity to practice their sport. Until later …