Those Friday night lights are ready to shine again for another season as area teams prepare to kickoff the season this Friday night.

Ackerman will be looking to make the playoffs again. Weir would like to followup its perfect season with yet another historic year and French Camp is looking a rebuilding while Trell Hagans shines in the backfield.

Ackerman setting high goals

The Ackerman Indian football team is setting high goals for the upcoming football season and they will have to work hard and stay healthy to meet those goals.

Head Football Coach Steve Denson said he hopes Ackerman will compete in the 2A playoffs this year.

"That's the goal," Denson said. "That's what we aim for, what we work for, every year. We want to be the best we can be."

Denson said the first five games in this year's schedule will really put those goals to the test as the season begins with the heavy hitting Calhoun City. The team will also face Bruce and Water Valley back to back this year, and they are the projected leaders in the district.

"We are going to have to be ready to get out there and play and stay healthy, particularly through the first half of the season," Denson said.

Ackerman will have 10 seniors on the field this year, making a total of 22 lettermen returning to the team. That's good news for Indian fans who watched their team enter playoffs last season. This group will be ready to return and make an excellent showing.

Denson said all of his offensive line will be returning to the field this year, helping the team create a solid offensive front.

The question mark will be the defensive line, where Denson will be breaking in several inexperienced players.

Two quarterbacks will be returning this year and Denson said he had confidence in his wide receivers.

"We are excited and ready to get out there and play," Denson said. "We are ready to see what we can do."

Ackerman High School 2004 Football Schedule

Aug. 27 Calhoun City Home

Sept. 3 Newton Away

Sept. 10 Kosciusko Home

Sept. 17 Bruce Away

Sept. 24 Water Valley Home

Oct. 1 Coldwater Away

Oct. 8 Eupora Home

Oct. 15 Hamilton Away

Oct. 22 Winona Away

Oct. 29 Okolona Home

French Camp Football

French Camp Academy fans will see a lot of new faces on the field this football season, not only in pads and uniforms, but on the sidelines as well.

New Head Coach Nathan Wright has taken the reigns of the French Camp Panthers this year, along with Assistant Coach Mike Ryan. This is Wright's first head coaching job, but he intends to guide the young team with the hope of having a successful season.

"Guys that want to work hard and can maintain a positive attitude, can go a long way," Wright said.

Coach Wright said the team is made up of many hard working players that have not seen a lot of time on the playing field. The Panthers graduated many key players last year and they are working to find players to step into those positions.

"There's a lot of opportunity for players to show what they are made of this year," Wright said. "We have a lot of hard-working, tough guys, but we have a tough district and a challenging schedule this year."

For the most part, many players are still learning the ropes in their positions, but Wright said he is expecting a lot out of returning players Ricky McCarter and Quintin Sieria this season. He did say there were many bright spots throughout the team.

One thing that distinguishes the French Camp Panthers from other teams in 1A is their focus on living out the message of Jesus Christ, which stems from the school's mission. Coach Wright said that translates on the football field to mean the coaches are about bring players closer to Christ and everyone does their best on the field and off to portray a Christ-like example to the world.

This year's schedule will put the Panthers to the test in every area, starting out with a 3A team. The Panthers will face Caledonia in Caledonia for their first game of the season. The team will return home Sept. 3 to take on East Oktibbeha, then continue the remainder of the season fighting for positioning in 1A District 2 competition. Last year, French Camp finished fifth in the district under some heavy hitters such as Weir, Durant, East Webster, and Ray Brooks.

"This season will be challenging all the way to the end," Coach Wright said, "but I hope we get focused as a team and do our best."

French Camp Academy 200 4 Football Schedule

Aug. 27 Caledonia Away

Sept. 3 E. Oktibbeha Home

Sept. 10 Ray Brooks Home

Sept. 17 McAdams Away

Sept. 24 W. Oktibbeha Home

Oct. 1 Weir Away

Oct. 8 Durant Away

Oct. 15 E. Webster Home

Oct. 22 Greenville St. Joe Home

Oct. 29 Ethel Away

Nov. 5 Montgomery County Home

Weir Football

Weir Attendance Center can expect another exciting football season as a young Lions team prepares to take the field.

Excitement is high on the practice field as the Weir Lions prepare for the upcoming year. This year, 45 students will suit up and take the field for the Lions, that's up from 31 last year.

And they are ready to play some ball. This massive number of students in red jerseys and pads on the practice field is impressive to see but they are ready to go from the practice field to the playing field.

Head Coach Junior Graham said his Lions are facing a challenging season. He said everyone in the division has improved from top to bottom.

"Even the teams finishing in the bottom of the division last year will show improvements this year," Graham said. "It should be an interesting year and we are excited. With all the improvements and changes within the division, a team with maybe one or two losses could take the title."

Last year, Weir finished first in the district, but with powerhouses such as Ray Brooks, Durant, and East Webster competing in 1A District 2, Weir may have a little competition for the top spot this year. But Graham feels his team can rise to the challenge.

"They are mighty young, and of course there will be youthful mistakes the first couple of games," Graham said. "We are going to take it week-to-week and if we can stay healthy, we might even make a little noise in the playoffs."

The Weir Lions have made it a point to "make some noise" at the playoffs in recent years, setting a standard of excellence that has brought them at 1A State Championship in 2003. In 2004, that standard of excellence brought them all the way to the big game, but the team fell just short of a championship trophy.

"We have a talented group of guys," Graham said, "but they haven't much time on the field. We graduated a lot of positions last year but I think this group will come together as the season progresses."

Weir is having to replace every position on the offensive line and three of the four positions on the defensive line. But Weir is preparing players to step up to the challenge. During practice, the larger group breaks into five or six smaller groups to work on specific areas of expertise.

There will some familiar faces out on the field this year. Veteran players returning this year include Wide Receiver Cedric Miller, 1,000-yard Rusher James Woodard, and Defensive Tackler George Johnson.

"It won't be long until we find out just how everything is going to come together," Graham said. "These are talented kids, but we are slim in a couple of areas. I think these kids are up to the challenge and we are fully expecting a successful year."

Weir kicks of the season on Aug. 27 by travelling to Smithville. Graham said despite the distance between the two schools, there has developed a good, friendly rivalry. Smithville has built a strong team and Weir is expecting a challenging game.

The Lions will have their first home game against Carthage on Sept. 3.Their first district game will be Sept. 10 against St. Joseph's in Greenville at home. Beginning with the Ethel game, the remainder of the schedule will be facing district schools. Homecoming will be Oct. 29 against Montgomery County.

Weir High School Football Schedule 2004

Aug. 27 Smithville Away

Sept. 3 Carthage Home

Sept. 10 St. Joe Away

Sept. 16 Ethel Home

Sept. 24 E. Webster Away

Oct. 1 French Camp Home

Oct. 8 Ray Brooks Away

Oct. 15 Durant Home

Oct. 22 W. Oktibbeha Away

Oct. 29 Montgomery County Home

Nov. 4 McAdams Away

Weir Junior High Football Schedule 2004

Aug. 31 Noxapater Away

Sept. 7 French Camp Away

Sept. 16 E. Webster Away

Sept. 21 Ethel Home

Sept. 28 Winona Home

Oct. 5 Noxapater Home

Oct. 12 French Camp

Oct. 19 Ethel Away