WINNEMUCCA - After enjoying my summer of bliss, reality has hit hard as the first week of school is now all but done.
Now, I am not a teacher or a student, but it sure feels like it. I think I have only seen my house this week to go to bed and wake up.
The Lowry High School junior varsity and football teams were supposed to make their home debuts on Thursday night. That was depending on if the smoke from the Yosemite Fire stayed away.
Many events in Washoe, Carson, Lyon, Douglas and Storey counties have been cancelled due to the poor air quality. Games can be rescheduled at a later date, but more of the Western United States is burning up. If the West Coast ever needed rain, it's now.
Today will begin with a drive to Lowry High School to catch the opening match of the Lady Bucks' season opener at the State Farm Insurance Volleyball Classic. The tournament had to be pushed back 45 minutes to accommodate the travel of Middleton, Idaho. I figure I should be able to catch one match and grab some photos before getting into the company car and begin travelling west on Interstate 80.
Exactly where I am going is still up in the air. This goes back to games possibly being cancelled in Lyon County. Pershing County is scheduled to play at Dayton. Losing this game for Pershing County would be just another knockout on a crazy schedule.
The Mustangs lost matchups with Whittell, North Tahoe and Silver Stage. Whittell is now a member of the Division IV West and North Tahoe and Silver Stage are playing as independents.
The Mustangs have only three home games and one of them is against the McQueen JV. If you are the three-time defending state champion, you deserve better. I guess we're not in the NCAA and not Alabama where you get eight games at home.
Now, I have nothing against Dayton, but shaving a few hours off a trip is not going to hurt my feelings. I am nearing 40 years old and I have turned into an old man. Bedtime comes much earlier these days.
I figure going to Dayton would get me back home at about 1 a.m. Now, if the game is moved, I can spend more time in Winnemucca at the volleyball tournament. If you move the game to Lovelock that shaves about four hours off of travel time, which means less gas and less money. Brownie points with the boss there.
Getting back at a decent time on Friday night or Saturday morning is a necessity since the State Farm Classic gets back underway on Saturday morning at 8 a.m. A few cups of coffee might be in store. If anyone cares I like caramel macchiato and I accept deliveries. I am not too hard to find.
With Lowry and Battle Mountain playing that means double duty in the teams I need to shoot. If I am in a good mood and they are still in the tournament, I will probably get some shots of Elko and Churchill County for my fellow editors and writers. You have to keep good relationship with others when you need the favor returned.
The schedule has the championship match at 3:30 p.m., but trying to keep a tournament on time is a crazy proposition. So hopefully everyone is not there until 6 p.m. in a gym that will be 100 degrees.
If I could clone myself, and I am sure the world does not need another one of me, I would take a trip east on the interstate as the Lowry soccer teams are in Spring Creek this weekend. That is, if you can get there through all the road construction. The last time I was there it looked like sticks of dynamite went off in front of the Carlin Tunnels. Hopefully, that construction is done before the snow flies.
I am just thinking that this is the first weekend of many until the end of May. But there is nothing like getting the season underway.
Humboldt Sun sports editor Tony Erquiaga can be reached via email at t.erquiaga@winnemuccapublishing.net.
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