Colfax books Oakesdale field for backup site

Oakesdale school officials have approved a request from Colfax to use the football field at Oakesdale for Colfax football games in September in the event the Schmuck Park athletic field construction project does not advance to a point where Colfax can host home games at the start of the season.

Colfax has home games scheduled with Asotin Sept. 9 and with Lind/Ritzville/Sprague Sept. 24. The Bulldog season will start with the league jamboree Aug. 26 at Ritzville and the first league round Sept. 2 at Reardan.

Colfax Supt. Jerry Pugh said the request for use of the Oakesdale field was made so Colfax would have an alternative site if the Schmuck Park project does not progress to a point where it can be used to host football games in September.

Pugh pointed out work on the project at this stage will involve a pulverizing process to prepare a base layer for the track, putting down a two-inch layer of asphalt surfacing on the compressed base coat, allowing the asphalt to cure, and then applying the latex layers of the actual track surface.

Pugh this week said they are now attempting to move up the base coat operation a week to get the timing of the project in sync with the football opening. The base coat process will involve grinding up the old asphalt layer which remains on the track. It will be combined with gravel and then compacted.

After the compacted surface is ready, the two- inch layer of asphalt will be applied. Pugh noted the asphalt will need at least two weeks to cure before the multi layers of the latex track surface can be applied to finish the project.

He said one option which could emerge would be covering the asphalt with mats so team members can cross over onto the playing field.

One of the factors that could throw off the timing of the project would be rain. Pugh noted sprinkling in the field has been curtailed for the past few weeks to dry out the track before the process begins.

Oakesdale Athletic Director Ken Lindgren said the Nighthawks football field has been out of use for the past two years because the Nighthawks have dropped football as a school sport due to declining enrollment.

Last use of the field was for practice sessions for a junior varsity team which was formed with Oakesdale and Garfield/Palouse.

Lindgren said Oakesdale has continued to water and mow the field. In the event Colfax needs to use the field, the first step will be to locate the marking pins to mark out the grid. He noted fans would have to anticipate more sideline viewing because the seating capacity for the Oakesdale bleachers is limited.

Under WIAA rules, athletes in a sport which is not offered by their school can play for a team in a neighboring district. Dillon Meserve of Oakesdale played on the Colfax football team as a junior last year and is expected to return this year. Oakesdale girls also played on the Bulldogs' softball team last year.

The two September home games for Colfax can be expected to draw a strong following of fans from Asotin and Lind/Ritzville/Sprague who are league neighbors of the Bulldogs.

The Asotin game will be the first NE league game here for the Panthers who joined the NE 2B league this year.

Asotin now marks the south end of the NE which stretches north to Kettle Falls. Last year Asotin's team ended the Colfax football season with a win in the NE-SE playoff round at the Panthers' field.

Colfax also has a home game booked Sept. 30 with Northwest Christian. Last year the Bulldogs opened the season by playing Northwest Christian at Roos Field in Cheney because the Crusaders, a relative newcomer in the league, lacked a home field at their school in Colbert.

The Colfax football schedule again this year involves all league games through the end of October. With the addition of Asotin, the league now has 10 football contenders.

St. George's, a league power in cross-country, basketball and track, does not field a team in the NE-2B football race.