On Friday, the stadium lights around the Twin Harbors will illuminate once more as the high school football season officially begins. More than two weeks of workouts, two-a-day practices and an offseason of preparation culminate with the opening kickoffs.

For some teams the 2016 season will be a rebuilding project. Others have had September 3 circled on calendars since the last snap in November.

“There is always excitement when you begin a new season,” Montesano coach Terry Jensen said. “Every teams’ hopes, dreams and goals all seem achievable.”

Montesano will host Aberdeen to begin the season. After meeting in league play the last two seasons, the Bobcats and Bulldogs will tangle in a non-league contest as Aberdeen has moved back into the Evergreen 2A Conference.

Hoquiam hosts Chehalis to start a season the Grizzlies hope will run long into November. The 2A Bearcats have won the last six meetings between the two schools with Hoquiam’s last win over Chehalis coming in 1994.

Elma will return to the lights of Davis Field for the first time in three years when the Eagles take on Eatonville on Friday.

ABERDEEN-MONTESANO

Aberdeen’s first season back in the Evergreen 2A Conference will be filled with plenty of non-league tilts against familiar rivals. Among those contests is an opening game against a Montesano team, which defeated the Bobcats 49-0 last season.

“As we are entering back into the 2A league, we want to play quality opponents,” Aberdeen coach Kevin Ridout said. “You have to really play well to win at this 2A level, so why not start off with a great team like Monte. They are well coached and they do things right. We are anticipating a battle.”

The Bobcats will be led on both sides of the ball by senior Braden Castleberry-Taylor and junior Kylan Touch. Castleberry-Taylor is a weapon in the passing game, while Touch shined as a running back during the Montesano Jamboree last Friday.

For Ridout, the key to an Aberdeen victory won’t be about what the Bobcats do, but what they don’t do. Limiting turnovers will open up opportunities for the Bobcats, Ridout said.

“On the offensive side, we have to find a way to crack their stack defense,” Ridout said. “We have to find a way to chew up time and yardage against them. No mistakes. We are asking for a lot this game. We are asking to get the program heading in the right direction and that is competing as hard as we can and seeing where the chips lie.”

Defensively, the Bobcats will concentrate on maintaining gap integrity and trusting reads in assignments. The Bulldogs graduated three all-state players, but brought back plenty of team speed to hurt the Bobcats in the pass game or with a counter.

“They are going to be utilizing their team speed to try and get outside,” Ridout said. “(Monte quarterback Trevor) Ridgway and their receivers will be throwing the ball with the play action and the fly sweep. You always have to watch out for Monte’s counter because they get you going and going and then they come back and counter.”

For Montesano, the key will be to fight through the nerves. The Bulldogs only return two starters from last season and will have as many as nine players on each side of the ball stepping into starting roles for the first time in their careers.

“We will have a lot of nervous players, hopefully we will calm down and execute the game plan,” Jensen said. “We must make good decisions with the football and sustain blocks on offense. We need to play fast defensively, tackle well and get off blocks.”

HOQUIAM-CHEHALIS

Hoquiam returns the majority of its starters on both sides of the ball from a season ago and will start the season with a 2A Chehalis team, which finished 2015 with a 6-5 record.

With Hoquiam entering the season as the favorite for the Evergreen 1A League title, the first contest will be a barometer for the Grizzlies.

“It will be nice to get that full game and see where we are at technique-wise, conditioning-wise and see what we can execute offensively and defensively,” Hoquaim coach Rick Moore said. “We are going to find out and they are quite a worthy opponent. They have a couple all-conference kids coming back so it is a big challenge for us too.”

The Bearcats defense is led 2015 all-Evergreen 2A Conference players junior lineman Kevin Clevenger and senior linebacker Colby Steen, but Chehalis returns more than six starters on both sides of the ball. Chehalis will be driven by its line on offense as well. The Hoquiam contest will be the first start for Chehalis junior quarterback Nole Wollan, but he will set up behind a line that features 6-foot-6, 290 pound Hunter Arredondo and all-Evergreen selection Tyler Pallas.

“We have to be able to move the ball and put our kids into space,” Moore said. “We have to distribute the ball and keep them off guard. Defensively, (the key) is to be quicker than their big boys. Up front, they have an advantage because of their size and the wear down factor, but we have to be able to rotate some kids through and play fast up front.”

Hoquiam will have the home field advantage, but Moore said he expects a battle that will require a strong performance from the Grizzlies.

“It is going to come down to do we execute our offense and defense,” Moore said. “We have to have the whole package. You want to win the game, but what we want to do is make sure in the game that we are competing the whole game and that the kids are driving toward a victory.”

Other games

Along with Elma, both Ocosta and South Bend will begin the season at home on Friday. The Wildcats host Chief Leschi, while the Indians host Winlock. North Beach travels to Rainier and Taholah heads to Evergreen Lutheran, while Pe Ell-Willapa Valley takes on rival Adna.

Raymond will be the only Twin Harbor team in action on Saturday when the Seagulls head to Napavine to face the 2015 state 2B runner-up Tigers.