Cashmere Plans Districtwide Early Release for State Football Final

With Cashmere High School football in the state championship game for the first time since 2008, the school district is planning an early release for Friday.

Why Cashmere Is Releasing Early

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All schools will end early at 11 a.m. Friday to allow for students and staff who want to support the program to make it to the game safely.

Superintendent Glenn Johnson says the district carefully weighed its options and added that there are numerous district employees and kids involved with the championship game, which made it hard to achieve a full day of instruction.

"We have pride in our programs," Johnson said. "Our band, cheer, and everybody else is going over to the football game, too. It's not just about the football kids, it's about all the kids."

Staff and Student Involvement in the Championship

Johnson said a lot of staff are parents of the football players and will be traveling to Husky Stadium to watch the Bulldogs for a 3 p.m. kickoff Friday. He also said he reached out to Royal School District, and they are doing the same thing.

"That made it challenging, a three o'clock game on a Friday," Johnson said. "Trying to get people over there safe with the pass conditions and we decided to do that."

How the Schedule Change Affects Instructional Days

Because the district is still holding classes, it does not have to make up the instructional day. Johnson said they didn't want to cancel school outright because the winter is unpredictable and they may need to use a snow makeup day later on.

Game Details: Cashmere vs. Royal Knights

The Bulldogs defeated Life Christian Academy 59-16 in the quarterfinals, before beating Mt. Baker High School 41-14 to earn the trip to the state title. The Bulldogs lost to Royal on the road earlier this season 21-15 in overtime. Cashmere went 7-1 in the regular season, and are visiting the state championship game for only the fourth time.

Cashmere takes on the Royal Knights at 3 p.m. at Husky Stadium. You can listen on 1340 AM The Hawk starting at 2:30 p.m.