Fall sports practices underway

Fall sports practices got underway Monday, the first day allowed under the rules of the Kansas State High School Activities Association.

The first event of the new sports year will be held Monday afternoon as Fort Scott High School's tennis team hosts a junior varsity tournament which is set to begin at 3 p.m.

Fort Scott High School football will hold its usual informal intrasquad scrimmage Saturday morning, then its annual Red & White Scrimmage at Frary Field Aug. 26. The first gridiron action of the season will be September 2 when Labette County visits Frary Field.

Fort Scott soccer will scrimmage Aug. 25 at Ellis Park before opening the season on the road at Louisburg Aug. 30. The Tigers open the season with three road matches before hosting Independence on Monday, Sept. 12.

Fort Scott volleyball will hold its Red & White Scrimmage at the FSHS gymnasium at 4 p.m. on Aug. 26 before opening season play the next morning with a non-league quadrangular at Pittsburg which will also feature Columbus and Girard. The Tigers' first home matches will be Sept. 1 against Iola and Prairie View in non-league play.

Fort Scott cross country opens the season Sept. 1 at Labette County with its annual home meet the following Thursday at the former Cigna building on S. Horton St.

Fort Scott's golf team will be the last to get underway, opening Sept. 6 by hosting its annual invitational at the Fort Scott Municipal Golf Course.

Uniontown football and volleyball will have scrimmages on Aug. 26. Football opens the season at Burlington Sept. 2 with its first home game the following Friday against Oswego. Volleyball opens Aug. 27 at the Three Rivers League Tournament at Pleasanton.

Uniontown's golf team will host a junior varsity tournament on Sept. 1. The varsity team opens at Fort Scott on the 6th.

The newest Eagle program, the cross country team, engages in its first-ever competition at Burlington on Sept. 1. They will also participate in the Fort Scott meet on Sept. 8.

Pleasanton football opens Sept. 2 at home against Dexter. Miami, Mo., has said it may be unable to field a team this season, which may leave the Blu-Jays with an open dare on Sept. 23. It may be possible to find a replace ment as Crest was able to get Lawrence Veritas Christian to replace Miami on its schedule.

Pleasanton cross country opens the season at Anderson County on Sept. 1. The volleyball team opens by hosting the now-10-team TRL Tournament on Aug. 27.

Jayhawk-Linn returns to the TRL this year after three years in the Pioneer League. However, the football squad will play one last season in the Pioneer to honor the second year of all its two-year football contracts. Jayhawk football opens with a home game against Wellsville on Sept. 2.

J-Linn volleyball will be the school's first team to jump back into TRL play when it attends the league tournament in Pleasanton on the 27th. Their first home matches will be on Sept. 27 in a league triangular against Uniontown, Marmaton Valley and Chetopa.

Jayhawk-Linn cross country will attend the Anderson County meet to open the season on Sept. 1, go to Fort Scott on the 8th and host its own meet on Oct. 6.

This year also marks the final season for Iola in the Southeast Kansas League. The school will switch to the Pioneer League, replacing Jayhawk-Linn, starting with the 2012-13 school year. Columbus is expected to make a decision soon on whether to switch to the CNC League in 2012-13 or stay in the SEK.