Here's a quick look at some of the top upcoming high school events that are worth the drive:

Thursday

• Cross country: Panther Invitational, 4 p.m. Runners get the opportunity to traverse the site where the state championships will be staged in October, as the season gets under way with a stacked field at the El Pomar Complex in Colorado Springs.

• Boys soccer: No. 4 Cherry Creek vs. No. 5 Chatfield, 5 p.m. Lakewood Memorial. The Class 5A schedule begins with a quality matchup between powerhouse programs.

• Volleyball: Three top-10 matchups tip off the 2007 campaign. In Class 5A, No. 6 Chaparral will be at No. 4 Lewis-Palmer at 6 p.m. In Class 4A, sixth-ranked Cherokee Trail will play host to No. 3 Cheyenne Mountain, also at 6 p.m. In Class 3A, No. 4 Manitou Springs makes the trip to No. 8 Faith Christian for a 6:30 p.m. match.

Friday

• Football: Prep gridiron fans whet their collective appetites with a smattering of games in Week 0. Matters pick up considerably in Week 1, when nearly every team in the state will be in action.

Some of the best offerings: Ponderosa opens at No. 8 Mountain Vista in the Class 5A Continental League, and the top nonleague, big-school contests include Montbello at sixth-ranked Cherry Creek, No. 5 Grandview at Thomas Jefferson and Front Range League hopeful Poudre at No. 2 Mullen.

The game of the week, though, might be in Arvada, where fourth-ranked Kent Denver will take on No. 3 and defending champion Faith Christian.

• Softball: Regular-season tournaments dominate the schedule the next two weekends. Among the more notable events Friday and Saturday are the Triple Crown Invitational in Fort Collins, the Don McCall Invitational in Douglas County, the Boulder Valley Invitational and the Falcon tournament.

• Boys soccer: No. 2 Liberty at No. 6 Mullen, 4:30 p.m. Two of the top programs in Class 4A renew acquaintances to start the season.

Saturday

• Boys soccer: No. 7 Basalt at No. 6 Denver Christian, 9 a.m. Western Slope power Basalt journeys into the metro area to meet the 2006 state runner-up in Class 3A.

• Football: George Washington at Standley Lake, 2:30 p.m. North Area Athletic Complex. Each scored big wins in their openers last week and look to remain on track in Class 4A.