Fall sports will see many changes

Another high school sports year opens Monday.
And to think it’s only 126 days until Christmas.
So, what can we expect during the coming three months of fall sports capped by the football playoffs Thanksgiving weekend?
• The state high school volleyball tournament will be in Kansas City for the first time.
• Van Horn will play three home football games at Independence All-School Stadium/Norm James Field. The Falcons also, for the first time, will play an independent schedule.
• The annual football game between Truman and William Chrisman for the Wagon Wheel Trophy sponsored by the Rotary Club of Independence will be the earliest ever on Oct. 10.
• Defending Class 4 football state champion Lee’s Summit West has moved to Class 5 and defending Class 3 state champion Harrisonville, and the team it beat in the state semifinals, Grain Valley, move to Class 4.
• St. Mary’s has dropped to Class 1 in cross country and football, and the softball team plays in the fall for the first time.
• It will rain at least one Friday night or Saturday.
• Aug. 31 will be a historic day. Blue Springs South is host to Rockhurst in the first Sunday high school varsity football game to be televised on ESPN.
• Grain Valley will play on a new artificial football field expected to be ready for the home and season opener against Lincoln Prep on Aug. 29. The facility also is getting a new eight-lane track.
• Oak Grove will field a boys soccer team for the first time with girls soccer coming in the spring.
• Oak Grove also has a new press box and plays for the second season on its artificial field.
• Because of the opening of the new Staley High School there will be for the first time ever no Thursday night varsity football games at North Kansas City High School.
• I’ve mentioned this before, but also for the first time two schools from each district in all six classes qualify for the high school football playoffs.
• Looking ahead even further, Grain Valley begins girls soccer next spring followed by boys soccer in the fall of 2009.
• Finally, there are new fall sports head coaches at nearly all of the area’s 14 high schools. There are too many to mention but only two in football, Jeff Tolbert at Van Horn and Kevin Page at Raytown.
• Finally, I was saddened this week by the death of Clay Snowden, who was the first boys basketball coach at Truman.
I was told the visitation line was two hours long Monday night. That was not surprising. Clay had many friends.
This was a man full of warmth, class and professionalism.
I don’t remember the last time I saw him. It probably was at the annual Kiwanis Club chili day in March at the Stone Church. He was also there this past March I was told, but I missed him.
He was 78. He lived a full and active life. He was a devoted husband, father, coach, Sunday school teacher, a Kiwanis Club member for years, served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean conflict and on Dec. 30 would have celebrated 58 years of marriage to his lovely wife, Beth.
My condolences to the Snowden family. A good man is in heaven.