Across the country on Thursday and Friday nights this week, young men suited up in football gear will carry their school and community pride onto football fields in small towns and large cities everywhere on the map.
In the local prep football opener at our high school athletic complex, the Jaguars football team will battle with the high-powered West Central Area Knights on Friday night with a 7:00 kickoff. The Knights went 8-2 last season against all Class 2A opposition, and they are good year after year.
Also, good luck to the cross country teams as they travel to Maple Lake for their second meet of the season today. Coach Kiosol reported the results to me from Monday, and it was noteworthy to see a Jaguars' Junior high team member take third place in the 1-mile in his first-ever cross country race. Complete results from that meet and today's meet will be published in next week's local newspapers.
Friday morning I'll be at the Minnewaska Triangular, which is slated to begin at 8:30 at the Minnewaska Area High School tennis courts. The Jaguars girls tennis team is set to face Parkers Prairie in the first match, followed by a match up with the host Lakers, who went to the Class A state tournament in 2006.