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Area high school football teams have had months to prepare and weeks to practice.
Now, it’s time to take the field.
Squads from the Messengerland will get their first live feel for what they need to improve on tweak.
Football Fridays start warm before cooling down as the fall temperatures creep in down the stretch of the season.
There are some compelling storylines in the region, as Manson Northwest Webster and Bishop Garrigan go for triple plays in the district. The Cougars, who have qualified for the postseason two years in a row, are looking for a third consecutive district championship after previously suffering through a 30-year drought.
MNW travels to Gowrie to meet Southeast Valley on Friday.
The Golden Bears are looking to go back-to-back and win their third state crown in the last four seasons. Bishop Garrigan opens with Kingsley-Pierson to kick off 2026.
Manson Northwest Webster (0-0) at Southeast Valley (0-0)
Head coach Zach Noffsinger has turned the Cougar program around, and now, Manson Northwest Webster is the hunted.
In 2024, the Cougars won their first playoff game in 30 years (1994) and doubled up by reaching the postseason in 2025 as well.
The proof was in the rewards, as 17 Cougars earned all-district honors. Nine now return.
Back after stellar campaigns are standouts Coy Moline, Aiden Nelson, Charlie Sturgis, Tegan Thoma, Jaggar Wolfe, Elliott Droste, Jackson McGuire and Logan Salazar.
Moline was a do-it-all player for the Cougars and was named a second-team all-state selection in 2025. The senior ran for 1,268 yards and 15 touchdowns. He threw for three scores and caught one.
Thoma rushed for 356, while Sturgis had two TDs. Daggett threw for three touchdowns.
The Jaguars won three games a year ago behind an up-tempo offense and quarterbacks Mason Bahr and Casey Hanson. Both Bahr (677) and Hanson (558) threw for over 500 yards, with 10 and eight touchdowns, respectively.
Hanson was also dynamite on the ground, running for 621 yards and nine scores. Bahr had three TDs, while Logan Jaeschke also ran for a score.
Jaeschke (551) and Bryce Harrison (450) were Southeast Valley’s main targets in 2025, with eight and five touchdowns, respectively.
Bishop Garrigan (0-0) at Kingsley-Pierson (1-0)
The Golden Bears have won 23 consecutive regular-season games and will look to extend that streak against Kingsley-Pierson on Friday.
Bishop Garrigan has a lot to replace on offense, as standout quarterback Tate Foertsch and running back Ethan Marso are gone. Foertsch threw for 1,333 yards and 25 TDs a year ago. He ran for 1,162 and 22 more scores, and also returned two interceptions to paydirt.
Marso ran for 1,425 yards and 29 touchdowns.
Returning as the leader on the ground is CJ McGregor (650) and Carter Cink (301). They had 12 and four touchdowns, respectively.
Seniors Michael Joyce (494) and Weston Rosenmeyer (387) are the leading receivers back with eight and seven TDs, respectively.
Joyce had five interceptions and one for a score, as well as two kickoffs for touchdowns.
The big gap to fill for the Panthers will be graduate Landon Howe, who threw for 1,346 yards and 19 TDs. He also ran for 580 and eight, respectively. Tyler Koch added 13 rushing touchdowns.
In his final campaign, Joyce is slated to make the switch to quarterback for the Golden Bears.
The Panthers (1-0) opened the season last week with a 56-52 victory over Coon Rapids-Bayard. Kingsely-Pierson was 6-4 last fall and lost to the Golden Bears twice. Garrigan won the season opener, 60-20, and the playoff opener (57-12).
Humboldt (0-0) at Spencer (0-0)
Humboldt won four games a year ago, while Spencer won three. The Wildcats rolled in last year’s contest, 35-13.
The two squads have played 10 times since 2014, splitting the contests. Humboldt has won three straight in the series.
The Wildcats will have to replace senior twin brothers Jackson Flaherty and Chase Flaherty. Jackson threw for 1,245 yards and 12 scores, while rushing for six TDs. Chase had 602 yards receiving and six touchdowns.
The leading rusher back is senior Cash McIntire, who toted the ball 138 times for 822 and nine scores a year ago.
Jaxson Kirchhoff had two receiving TDs in 2025. He also returns, as does standout defender Broedy Hendricks.
Last season, the Tigers ran for 2,191 yards and threw for 720. Kamden Young (1,086 rushing yards, 17 TDs) and Dylan Timmer (446 and 10) both graduated.
South Central Calhoun (0-0) at Earlham (0-0)
The Titans have put together an impressive streak of reaching the postseason 13 straight years.
Last fall, South Central Calhoun was 4-5 and dropped their playoff opener. The Titans had a balanced attack, rushing for 1,483 yards and throwing for 1,014.
South Central Calhoun ran for 24 touchdowns in 2025, and return all but two of those scores.
Junior Cooper Nattress is the leader back after running for 408 yards and 11 TDs a year ago. Luke Patterson had 361 yards and three TDs, while Coltley Timmerman added 220 yards and three scores.
Junior quarterback Cade Higgins threw for 978 and five touchdowns last year.
Earlham won four games and reached the playoffs in 2025.
The Cardinals had 2,081 rushing yards last year. Leader Josy Winey (1,238 yards and 16 touchdowns) has graduated.
Cole Eitel is the returning leader with 229 and three scores.
Clarion-Goldfield/Dows (0-0) at Belmond-Klemme (0-0)
After winning only two games in 2024, the Cowboys turned things around last season, taking six victories and a playoff win.
The Cowboys beat Waterloo Columbus, 48-27, in a Class 1A first-round game.
Clarion-Goldfield/Dows ran for 2,796 yards and 34 touchdowns in 2025. The Cowboys will have to replace the bulk of their ground game with the graduation of Joel Meier (1,082) and Selvin Gonzalez (997), who scored 13 and 11 times in 2025, respectively.
The leader returning is junior Colin Sesker, who had 415 on the ground and six scores.
Belmond-Klemme senior Brody Heifner is back after throwing for 1,856 yards and 20 touchdowns last year. Heifner also ran for 382 yards six TDs.
Other area games: Spirit Lake (0-0) at Algona (0-0); City (0-0) at Iowa Falls-Alden (0-0); Emmetsburg (0-0) at Estherville-LC (0-0); Sioux Central (0-0) at Pocahontas Area (0-0); IKM-Manning (0-0) at East Sac County (0-0); Lake Mills (0-0) at Eagle Grove (0-0); North Union (0-0) at Newell-Fonda (0-0); West Bend-Mallard (0-0) at GTRA (0-0).