High-school football teams take their game out of state

High-school football practice starts today, and Bellevue and Issaquah are receiving most of the preseason attention. Rightfully so, because of their matchups against California powerhouses.

But they're not the only ones playing an out-of-state opponent.

Liberty High School in Issaquah will travel to Portland to face Oregon 4A state champion Sprague High of Salem in the inaugural Les Schwab Kickoff Classic on Sept. 1. The game, the first of a doubleheader, is scheduled for 6 p.m. at PGE Park.

The second game features Lynden High, which has reached the 3A state semifinals in three of the past four years, against Scappoose, Ore., at 8:30 p.m.

John McCallum, vice president of ProMax Events in Portland, which organized the games, said the original plan was to emphasize the border clash and invite a Washington big-school football champion to play an Oregon counterpart.

"All the schools around here are curious, how will you match up against the schools up in Washington you hear about," McCallum said.

But Evergreen from Vancouver, Washington's 4A champion, was already locked into this year's Emerald City Kickoff Classic at Qwest Field on Labor Day against Ferris of Spokane. And Bellevue, the 3A champion, couldn't attend because of a commitment to host Long Beach Poly, Calif., which has more active players in the NFL than any other high school. That game is scheduled for Sept. 16 at 7 p.m., also at Qwest Field.

Issaquah was also considered, but it is playing Mission Viejo, Calif., one of the country's top schools, also at the Emerald City Kickoff Classic.

"I don't think we were their first choice," said Liberty coach Steve Valach, "but when the chance came, we said, 'Let's do it.' [A trip to] Mount Si [in Snoqualmie] is traveling for us. This is a first-time experience."

And why not?

Promoters, who hope for about 7,500 fans per game, are paying for Liberty's transportation on a charter bus, lodging at the Lake Oswego Hilton and all the food, as well as a tour of Nike's headquarters in nearby Beaverton.

"We're definitely biting off a big chunk here," Valach said, "but we feel confident and up to the challenge. We're going down there to win."

Michael Ko: 206-515-5653 or mko@seattletimes.com