When Eastmont coach Jay Foster and the Wildcats returned victoriously from Sunnyside early Saturday, he thought he’d been had by a prankster as he neared his vehicle.

“It looked like somebody had sprayed Silly String,” he said. “Then I looked down at my feet and realized I had made a path.”

There was no jokester. This was the ash and debris from the wildfires that have hit Chelan County from two fronts.

To the north is the Little Sugarloaf Fire that as of Monday evening had grown to nearly 40,000 acres and was 47% contained. And to the west, the Labor Mountain Fire, which had claimed just more than 35,000 acres and was just 7% contained.

The impact on the communities has been inescapable.

“We can’t get away from it right now,” Foster said. “It’s just been a mess. We don’t where we’ll be (practicing) and you’re trying to figure out how to finagle that.”

The Wildcats were the only football team in the CBBN, CWAC or SCAC that lost a game because of the air pollution. When no other site could be found for their opener against Bonney Lake, the game was scrapped.

Wenatchee hasn’t lost a game, but they had to move last week’s conference game against Moses Lake from the Apple Bowl to the Mavericks’ home field.

Cashmere, too, had to flip its Week 1 home game against Wapato to a road contest because of Blewett Pass being closed.

And even if a team is fortunate to have the Air Quality Index dip to an acceptable level, it doesn’t mean the game will be without drama caused by the fires, as the Bulldogs found out last week.

“Thursday we were very fortunate to play,” Cashmere athletic director Jeff Carlson said. “But in the second quarter, people started looking at their phones and they were getting notifications about Nahahum Canyon.”

A Level 3 – leave now – notice had been sent.

Athletic directors and coaches have had to juggle practice schedules, too. If the AQI climbs past 150, not only can’t you play outside, but you also can’t practice outside.

On Sunday, Cashmere’s AQI was 459, well past the mark – 300 – that is considered hazardous.

“Throughout the whole fall season, this is what life has become,” Carlson said.

Just as Eastmont was forced to practice inside last week ahead of facing a strong Grizzlies passing attack, Bulldogs coach Bryan Bremer messaged little hope of getting outside before they travel Friday to face top-ranked and five-time defending 1A champion Royal.

“Everything we practiced against was in front of us,” said Foster, recognizing the flexibility of his players. “The kids are resilient. A lot of it is how we as coaches approach things; they'll react how we react.

“We know we’re going to find adversity and find a way to get through it.”

As will the community, Carlson said, and sports can unite.

“It definitely can take your attention away from everything,” he said. “And the success of our teams has been something that can help.”