Kicking off the season

It?s going to be a busy night.

All around the state, high school football teams will be opening their seasons with many fan bases hoping that this could be their year to get to the playoffs and claim a coveted state title.

Below is a look at the games the area football teams will be competing in tonight.

Check out Thursday?s issue of The Journal for a full preview of Washington football?s season-opener against top-ranked Pella

Mid-Prairie at Durant

The Golden Hawks will have revenge on their minds when they open up their season.

Last season, Mid-Prairie suffered a 7-6 loss to the Wildcats, and were a missed extra point away from forcing overtime. This year, the Hawks return a number of athletes who will look to put them over the top.

Led by senior running back and linebacker Nolan Faselt, the Hawks are feeling good about their team this season, and have many reasons to.

Mid-Prairie returns its starting quarterback from a season ago, Ryan Cortum, and the majority of its defense, which allowed 16.4 points per game with the exception of 40- and 49-point games against Clear Creek Amana and Albia.

The Hawks are looking to build on the offensive side of the ball this year, after averaging 21.5 points per game last year, but with Faselt and junior Ricky Vargas in the backfield, things could quickly improve.

Faselt averaged 6.8 yards per carry, scoring three touchdowns on the ground, while Vargas averaged 4.8 yards per carry a season ago, but has flashed a lot of big-play potential.

Defensively, the Hawks will rely on an experienced linebacker crew of Faselt, Vargas, Karson Duwa and Cameron Tolander, who combined for 176 tackles and 12 tackles for a loss in 2014.

The Hawks will also look to junior defensive end Levi Duwa, who had 42.5 tackles and three tackles for a loss a season ago.

The game against Durant will kick off at 7 p.m.

BGM, Brooklyn at Sigourney-Keota

The Sigourney-Keota football team hopes it can replicate its season-opening performance from last season.

The Cobras went on the road last year, and behind a stellar night from Peyton Crawford, pulled out a 28-14 victory.

Crawford ran for 120 yards and a touchdown (averaging 15 yards per carry), and made his presence known as a dangerous passer in the game, completing both of his pass attempts for 47 yards and two touchdowns.

This year, as a senior, Crawford is looking to start his campaign for another 1,700-yard season with a big game at home against BGM.

The Cobras will also rely on senior Nate Sieren in the backfield, after he picked up 570 yards (5.4 yards per carry) and six touchdowns a year ago.

Perhaps the biggest loss the Cobras will feel is at receiver, where they lose a big target in Nate Owen.

Owen caught 32 passes (19 more than anyone else on the team last year) and picked up 357 yards and four touchdowns. In the preseason, Isaiah Hahn was stepping into the role of receiver for the Cobras, and could be an integral part to another Sigourney-Keota playoff bid.

Danville at Highland

Highland started off the year quickly last year, jumping out to a 3-1 record over its first four games. The one loss came in the opener, 21-7 to Danville, and the Huskies will look to change that outcome at home tonight.

With Danville coming up to Highland tonight, the Huskies will rely on their returners to help push them forward in the first year under its new head coach.

With Joe Donovan taking the helm of Highland football, the Huskies are optimistic about what they can do this season.

Highland will move Tony Olguin from wide receiver to running back, where he looked strong during a scrimmage at Mid-Prairie last week, while junior quarterback Jake Wood returns under center for Highland.

Wood threw for nearly 1,300 yards last season, passing for 14 touchdowns, with his top target, Trent Lasek (23 catches, 508 yards, 6 touchdowns) returning.

Defensively, Nick Sandburg will be relied on to lead the team, as the top returning tackler on the team. Sandburg picked up 54.5 tackles last season, eight of them being for a loss, including one sack.

Lasek and Johnny Poeschel will also be critical on defense, as both picked off two passes a season ago.

The game against Danville will begin at 7 p.m.

Columbus at WACO

In the only matchup featuring two teams from the area, the Wildcats and Warriors will meet up for a county rivalry.

Columbus took the game last year, downing WACO 37-20, behind 225 rushing yards and four touchdowns from running back Mauricio Ramirez, who finished last season with 1,263 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Ramirez, who will be entering his senior season, also was strong defensively as a safety last season, picking up 40.5 tackles and three interceptions.

One of the biggest losses the Wildcats have is at wide receiver, where they lose the top pass catcher in school history, Chase Finke.

Finke had 33 catches a year ago, 18 more than the next highest on the list, Ramirez, who had 15.

The Wildcats are hoping for newcomer Devon Young to step up into that role and make a big impact right away.

For WACO, the Warriors lose top rusher, Tucker Janecek, who ran for 1,279 yards and 13 touchdowns in his senior season.

Helping lead the charge in 2015 is track star Bryce Achen, who ran for 373 yards and caught 29 passes for 452 yards a season ago.

The Warriors will also be looking to replace their starting quarterback, after graduating Braden Blake, who threw for 907 yards and six touchdowns a season ago.

The contest between the Wildcats and Warriors will begin at 7 p.m.