Don’t look now, but the start of the 2022 Mendo-Lake Empire Junior Football League season is just around the corner. The first day of practice is July 25 and the first weekend of game play in Aug. 20. The Middletown Colts are the defending champions in the junior varsity and varsity divisions while the Westshore Cardinals are the defending pee wee champions. The league is open to players ages 7-14. In a change from last season, St. Helena won’t field a team this year while Hopland, announced as a new league member during the spring, couldn’t come up with enough players to field teams. The regular season runs through the weekend of Oct. 22 with two weekends of playoffs to follow. In opening-day action Aug. 20 involving Lake County teams, Kelseyville visits Sonoma, Lower Lake travels to Middletown, Westshore hits the road to play Fort Bragg, and Northshore has a bye. Coaches are welcome to report their game results by email to RBSports@aol.com or bsumpter@record-bee.com
