After nearly nine months of uncertainty, we are finally starting to bring back Centennial’s athletes to what is traditionally played in the fall season.  

On February 22 the girls volleyball teams, soccer teams and the cross country teams officially began practice.  Since they are non-contact sports they will play games starting tonight as girls soccer will play Gresham High School at the Eastside Timbers sports complex.  

The boys soccer team will commence their season tomorrow against Madison at the Marshall High School campus.  Cross Country will start to run competitively for both boys and girls at David Douglas on March 4th. The Eagles Volleyball squad also starts tonight at Sandy High School.  

All of the fall athletes are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to compete against local schools in the coming weeks, but some have had a little more clarity as to when their season will begin and if they will compete at all. 

Football, being the only contact sport of the fall season, has had  much more of a tumultuous start to their season.  They began with the idea that they may not be allowed to play at all and quickly turned to the prospect of 7 on 7 football with lineman challenges.  

Terrance Sloth, Centennial High School Athletic Director, said the district “hands were tied” originally when on February 10th, Governor Kate Brown tied outdoor contact sports to LIPI (limited in person instruction) with a district having a plan to return to hybrid learning. 

Centennial had no such plan to return to hybrid learning, so football remained off the table with only hopes for 7 on 7.  On Wednesday, February 24, the Centennial School District Board members held a special session to address the changing circumstances surrounding football this season.  

They concluded that the Eagle Football team can indeed start practicing for this season. First they must opt back in with the OSAA and then they must make sure that all athletes have “participated in at least 9 practices” according to Eagle Assistant Coach, BJ Basinksi.  The final decision on games will be made March 9, with the prospect of the Eagles playing three late-season games.

Although the athletes may miss the roar of the crowds this season, they are certainly excited to compete again, after a nearly year long absence from their beloved sports.