Fremont hosts back-to-back cross-country meets in the coming weeks, the first featuring Fremont stars from the past and present and the second featuring many of the top cross country stars from throughout the area.

Fremont will host its 22nd annual Watermelon Run on Sept. 9 when current Fremont runners and alumni race against other students, family members, teachers and members of the coaching staff. The 2.05-mile run across the school campus that featured more than 300 participants last fall will begin at 3:30 p.m.

Multiple Watermelon winners Randal Polgar and Brian Cooper will be considered top "seeds" in the race if they show up to run in the alumni division in the Sept. 9 event.

Runners will race for top honors in the following divisions for male and female competitors: freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, alumni, and faculty. Each of the winners will take home a whole watermelon as a championship prize.

But despite their place of finish in the race, participants will share in the juicy watermelons since there will be plenty to go around.

A week after running for fun in the run for the melons, the 'Birds will be running for real when they host the annual Firebird Invitational, set for Sept. 16, 3:30 p.m. More than 20 schools are expected to compete in the race that will feature many of the area's outstanding cross country runners running across the Fremont campus.