Football

After opening the season last week with home games, the football teams from Roseville Area High School and Concordia Academy are hitting the road in week two.

The Hill-Murray football team, under new head coach Pete Bercich, opens the 2016 in search of a turnaround. The Pioneers went winless in the regular season a year ago.

The Tartan High School football team opens its season on Friday with a visit from Hill-Murray. The Titans’ only victory in 2015 was a season-opening 22-13 win over the Pioneers.

The strength of a football team is often measured by what it has on the offensive and defensive lines. That bodes well for the North High Polars this fall.

Going from a senior-laden team to one that is expected to have a number of sophomores receive significant playing time isn’t usually the recommended formula for a turnaround season.

It took a while for the St. Anthony Village High School football to find some victories last season. If the Huskies want to improve on last seasonís 2-6 regular-season record, they’ll need to use their speed and avoid injuries.

The 2015 football season at Mounds View High School wasn’t all that successful compared to recent years but the Mustangs were in every game and had late chances in at least three of the losses.

There’s no doubt that Concordia Academy would like to start out year two of district football the way it did year one. The Beacons opened 2015 with victories over Spectrum and Breck.

After suffering through a one-win season a year ago, the Roseville Area High School football team has almost nowhere to go but up. Head coach Chris Simdorn and his players enter the 2016 with optimism and it’s based on more than that.

The calendar might still say August but autumn is on the minds of plenty of people this week, especially anyone associated with high school sports.