Preview Week 1

Football is just a few days away and that line, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” is playing through my head as it always does the week leading up to the first game.

Our coverage football teams have exciting matchups in week one, and all of them start out with home games this season.

All of the games begin this Friday night, Aug. 26.

Atlanta vs. Elysian Fields

From the records I’ve gone through I can’t find where Atlanta has ever played Elysian Fields before.

Both teams have new a new head coach and playbook to work through.

Atlanta is looking for its first win since it beat Jefferson in the district finale in 2020.

The Yellowjackets finished district play last season in 3A-D2 with a 5-1 record and made it to the Area round. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

Linden-Kildare vs. Ore City

Linden-Kildare and Ore City have met 10 times prior to this meeting.

L-K holds a 6-4 advantage in the series. Ore City has won the last two matchups but the two teams have not played one another since 2015.

The Tigers have a new head coach and playbook to work through and dropped down into Division 2 of 2A. Last season L-K lost a couple of district games by seven points which would have changed the playoff landscape had they been able to overcome those deficits.

Ore City dropped from 3A-D2 to 2A-D1 and had a pretty rough season as they only finished with one win and finished 0-6 in district play. Kickoff is set for

Queen City vs. Rivercrest

Queen City and Rivercrest have played each other 10 times since 1966.

The Rebels have a 3-5-1 advantage in the series but QC has won the last two back in 2012 and 2013.

QC has arguably the toughest district to play in year-in-and-year-out.

Ore City and Harleton dropped in classification but the additions of Daingerfield and Harmony make the gauntlet a little tougher.

The Bulldogs let a couple of games slip away from them last season, but with new coaches across the district and heavy graduation losses the Bulldogs hope to stay healthy and surprise teams this year.

Rivercrest missed out on the playoffs last year after finishing district play with a 2-4 record. The game is set to begin at 7:30 p.m.