School isn’t in session yet, but the high school sports season is already beginning.

Vicksburg High, St. Aloysius and Warren Central will open the fall schedule with three slow-pitch softball games tonight at Lady Vikes Field. The games are part of the River City Classic, a round-robin preseason tournament.

&#8220It’s just the way it is, with school starting so much earlier, there’s no way to avoid it,” WC coach Lucy Young said of the early start to the season. &#8220I guess we’ve gotten accustomed to it.”

The River City Classic starts at 5 p.m., when host WC plays Vicksburg. At 6:15, St. Aloysius returns to the slow-pitch diamond after a two-year hiatus to face Warren Central. Vicksburg and St. Al wrap things up with a 7:30 game.

St. Al suspended its slow-pitch program in 2004 due to lack of interest. The absence of St. Al forced Young to look elsewhere for a third team in the Classic the last two years, including to several teams from Louisiana. She said it was nice to be able to resume the intra-city rivalry in the season-opening tournament.

&#8220It’s real nice to be able to play the classic series in town. That lets all our local people show up and see the kids play for the first time, and it’s a learning tool for the coaches,” Young said. &#8220It lets us see where we’re at and what we need to work on before the season starts.”