Aurora – Welcome back, kids.
Colorado’s 85th high school sports season begins today with the first of nine fall sports instituting preseason drills.
“There is nothing like the beginning of high school practice and what it represents for the young people throughout the state,” Colorado High School Activities Association commissioner Bill Reader said.
“There is a great sense of anticipation and excitement that encompasses the start of the school year.”
As usual, boys golfers earned first turns. They can begin matches Thursday.
Boys golfers will be joined a week from today by competitors in the other fall sports – boys and girls cross country, field hockey, football, gymnastics, boys soccer, softball, boys tennis and volleyball.
Boys tennis players may begin scrimmages or regular-season matches Aug. 18.
Softball teams may begin regular-season games Aug. 19, and then the entire fall field joins in when play begins in earnest Thursday, Sept. 1.
The fall highlights include the boys golf championships Oct. 3-4, running to the titles of the top two classifications of football Dec. 3 at Invesco Field at Mile High. It will be the first time a college- or pro-style stadium has hosted a state championship football game since 1992, when Boulder defeated Pomona 10-9 for the big-school (then Class 6A) title at Folsom Field on the University of Colorado campus.
Winter sports start Dec. 1 and run into early March, and spring sports are March 9 to May 23.
Neil H. Devlin can be reached at 303-820-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com.
* This story has been corrected. Because of an editor’s error, this story incorrectly said Colorado’s top three classes of high school football championship games will be played Dec. 3 at Invesco Field at Mile High. Only the top two classes, 5A and 4A, will have championship games at the Denver facility.
