Bond mug.jpg

High school sports are back this week, and we hope they are back to as close to normal as they were in 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic ruined our world.

That also means the “Kickoff” magazine is back, previewing high school football in Northeastern Oregon. This publication, for those who don’t know, was a staple of our sister papers, the La Grande Observer and Baker City Herald, then in 2019 was inserted in the Wallowa County Chieftain, along with the rest of EO Media Group’s Northeastern Oregon papers.

It, like everything else, was shelved in 2020, and there even was some uncertainty of if it would run in 2021 as cases began to climb statewide.

But a late decision was made to put this publication together, and it was done in a shorter timeline than any of the previous five years.

It looks a tiny bit different — you’ll find a cover that features Wallowa’s Lute Ramsden alongside a pair of La Grande, Cesar Rodriguez and Coby Hibbert, for a combined Union County and Wallowa County issue. Our team previews, given the shortened timeline, are a bit varied, as well.

But the main elements that have made this publication shine — and, in fact, win awards in the past — remain. In-depth features on local athletes, team previews, pages full of numbers for statheads like myself, and more.

It always feels like a Herculean effort to pull this off each year, but the product has never been one we have looked back and, in hindsight, felt was a mistake to print. This year, more than ever, there was a moment of “Are we really doing this?” especially given the unknowns of the season ahead. Yes, there is a full slate of games. But what if a team has an outbreak? What if the numbers continue to surge statewide and we end up shutting down again?

Those are questions that we asked, yet ultimately decided it was worth the risk. There already have been some COVID-19 induced alterations since the product went to print last week, with Wallowa having its opener canceled and Enterprise scheduling a new opponent. It still was worth it.

The result is what you will find inside — a resource to get you up to speed before the season starts this week, and one we hope you will refer back to again and again.

We hope you enjoy it.