By John Mesh
The fall sports season soon will fall upon us for Hutchinson Community College and area high schools.
The Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragons will suit up athletes in football, volleyball, women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, fall baseball, fall softball and fall men’s golf.
The defending NJCAA Division I champion Hutchinson Blue Dragon football team opens the season Sept. 6 against New Mexico Military Institute at 1 p.m. at Colt Field on the NMMI campus in Roswell, N.M.
The Hutchinson Blue Dragon women’s soccer team will open the season Aug. 12 against Allen County at Iola.
The Blue Dragons compete in the Gorilla Soccer Pitch Aug. 15 at Pittsburg State University, play their first home game Aug. 17 against Neosho County and hosts FC Wichita Aug. 21.
The Blue Dragon volleyball team, guided by new head coach Dayana Acevedo-Trent, opens the 2025 season Aug. 22-23 at the Iowa Western Riever Classic, Council Bluffs, Iowa.
The Blue Dragon men’s and women’s cross country teams host the Terry Masterson Invite Aug. 29 at Fun Valley in Hutchinson.
The Hutchinson CC men’s golf team opens the season at the Waco River Classic Sept. 14-16 at Bear Ridge Golf Course in Waco, Texas.
High schools
Fall sports offered for Kansas high school athletes are football, volleyball, cross country, girls tennis and girls golf.
Area coaches who already have not sent me information on their teams can email me at ohnjaye@gmail.com.
The Hutchinson High School and Hutchinson Middle School Fall Parents Meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14, at the HHS Performing Arts Center. Individual team meetings will follow.
The first day of KSHSAA-sanctioned organized practices is Monday, Aug. 18.
The Hutchinson Salthawk boys soccer team hosts scrimmages at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 23, at the Salthawk Sports Complex.
The Salthawk JV girls golf team competes Friday, Aug. 29, at Goddard Eisenhower.
On Monday, Sept. 1, Hutchinson varsity girls golf is at Derby, JV girls golf at Nickerson and varsity, JV volleyball is at Haysville-Campus.
On Wednesday, Sept. 3, the Salthawk boys soccer team competes at Wichita South. The following day, the JV and varsity girls tennis team is at Salina South and freshman volleyball team is at Salina South.
The first night of high school football is Friday, Sept. 5. Area matchups are Hutchinson at Andover Central, Inman at Hutchinson Trinity, Buhler at Mulvane, Hutchinson Central Christian at Sunrise Christian Academy, Hillsboro at Haven, Hartford at Fairfield, and Conway Springs at Nickerson.