Still trying to get organized. That's always the issue when it comes to covering high school sports in the Spring each year.

Football is easy to cover. Got a game on Friday night. Spend the rest of the week writing a game story and maybe a couple of others ... like one on the key drive of the game, another on a particular athlete's career-best performance in that game.

But it's one team, one game a week. Come Spring, the whole thing changes.

Actually, right after football season ends in December, the treadmill begins.

Suddenly, basketball is upon you. And it's two teams, boys and girls, at the varsity level. And it's two games a week ... for each team.

From one game a week to cover, you go to four games a week. That's not counting the "double up" on JVs, freshmen, and junior high teams.

And that's just the first sport to come along.

After the Christmas break, here comes baseball, softball and track. And each of those has teams or squads for our boys and girls.

Somewhere in there, you throw in powerlifting and golf squads as well.

So, this is more an informative column for you guys. I'm a one-man sports department, so you'll see me here ... and there ... and around the corner. I'll show up one day at baseball game, another at a softball tourney maybe, and perhaps, in the same day, hit one of each while trying to figure out if I can make it to a golf tournament just to be able to snap a picture or two.

In the meantime, blessings be bestowed up on the coaching staff here. They're so patient and understanding with me when I come wandering into their offices looking for a basketball scorebook, results from a powerlifting meet, or just to get a quote about the game the other night. The common thing I hear from them is "whatever you need," or "we help you however we can."

Gotta love the cooperation. After years of being on the news, rather than sports, side of the business, I've kinda been used to having to interpret the old "soft shoe" tap dance answers you get when you're talking to someone on a governmental body or commission. The coaches here really want to make sure their kids get their due. "It's all about the kids" is another phrase I heard from more than one of the coaches I've talked to.

So ... it's the middle of February basically ... with March, April and May to go in the school year ... probably a little bit of June as well ... and the next 16(?), 18(?) weeks will be nonstop for me ... and the coaches ... and the athletes ... and the family members who watch them.

Buckle up ... it's gonna be a long ride. But those calendar pages keep flipping.

See y'all at a game somewhere. I'm bound to show up somewhere, sometime at some competition.