Back in action this weekend

ODESSA – This week marks the start of the “fall sports” season for Odessa High School athletes playing football and volleyball. The football team faces Wellpinit this Friday evening at 7 p.m. at Finney Field. On Saturday, the volleyball team faces two different teams at home in the high school gym, with matches against Oakesdale at noon and Mary Walker High of Springdale at 4 p.m.

Covid-related restrictions apply, even in Phase 2. Parents of team members from both teams, plus the team members themselves, officials, coaches, team managers, other essential personnel and members of the OHS student body will be given permission to attend and will likely fill the quota of those allowed at the venue, meaning that opportunities for community fans will be very limited or even non-existent under current social-distancing guidelines. Events in the Odessa gym will be limited to 110 people (25% capacity). At Finney Field, the limit is 200 people. For both events, there will be no gate fee and no concessions.

The school’s athletic director, Bruce Todd, says Odessa fans can view this weekend’s action online by logging in to the NFHS Network (https://www.nfhsnetwork.com), an online subscription service for high-school sports. The school has obtained a camera system for the gymnasium for broadcasting the volleyball (and later on basketball) games. A second system is to be installed at Finney Field. The NFHS Network allows a profit-sharing arrangement with member schools, so the school district can also benefit from this arrangement.

Free Press Publishing, our parent company, will be publishing a special Lincoln/Adams County sports supplement for fall sports. It will include schedules and team photos for Odessa, Lind/Ritzville/Sprague, Davenport, Harrington and Reardan, as well as advertising by local supporters of school sports.