This time fly's thing boggles my mind.

Lots of things boggle my mind, but this one gets special attention from the neurotransmitters. 

Here it is, the first week of October and half the fall sports season is history. 

And what a first half it has been for local teams, and what a second half it could be. 

If I had to pick a “big” story in the first full month of the season, it would be the youth movement, and in particular, the number of outstanding eighth grader to sophomore athletes there are on the bi-counties' two cross country teams. 

The biggest story may be the success enjoyed by Plains Trotters sophomore runner Marina Tulloch.  She turned heads on the cross-country scene last year as a freshman when she placed in the top five of several meets, often placing higher than girls from Class AA and A schools along the way. 

This year, Tulloch has won two of those meets, including a course-record time in the Thompson Falls Invitational two weekends ago. 

Keep an eye on this young lady, she may be occupying a top run on the medal podium at the end of the year. 

And standing next to her may be a teammate, or another sophomore, Aubrey Baxter, from Thompson Falls. 

As for football, the big surprise locally could very well be the six-player Noxon Red Devils who had a 3-1 record going into this past weekend’s game versus Alberton, which at the time was still in search of a win this season. 

Hot Springs, as usual, and St. Regis, also as usual, are also having good seasons, with Hot Springs six-player team rebounding from a rare 0-2 start and outscoring their next two opponents 95-0.  St. Regis’ Tigers, meanwhile, are 3-1 heading into their homecoming match this past weekend with 4-0 Seeley-Swan. 

Perhaps the biggest team story of the first half has been the outstanding play of coach Kim Lakko’s Plains volleyball team, which is 6-0, including the best game of the year, a 3-2 win over rival Thompson Falls before a rowdy, packed gym last week in Plains. 

And although they haven’t won a game yet (boys are 0-5-2, girls are 0-6-1) but are the pioneers of soccer as a varsity high school sport in Sanders and Mineral Counties.   

That, my friends, is just the first half of the 2024 Fall sports season.   

So, if you need to run out and buy some Velcro, stock up.  Many of these teams are traditionally second-half teams.  The best may be yet to come. 

Popcorn, meanwhile, continues to be the leading bargain at school concession stands.  And the maple bars at Hot Springs are outstanding as always. 

As for me, the miles I’ve put on this season so far, have begun to take a toll on Big Red, my 2006 Dodge Ram whose odometer cracked the 255,000 miles barriers last week. Red is making some strange sounds this year, kind of like the ones I make when I get up from my beloved “chair”. 

And as of this writing, I have not figured out how to clone myself so I can cover more than one game in person at a time. 

Thanks to coaches and staff for keeping me supplied with the information I need to write these stories.  And a special tip of the hat to the parents and school officials who have submitted photos for games I cannot attend. 

Before you know it, the first snow will fly, and the “p” word (playoffs) will be upon us. 

Don’t get me started about putting up the outdoor Christmas lights.