While most of the high school football teams in the state gear up for scrimmages on Friday to commence the 2022 campaign, a few KCII area 8-player squads hit the gridiron for the real thing this weekend with a game in week zero. 

Lone Tree will kick off the Joe Donovan era with a road game at Midland on Friday at 7 p.m. The Lions finished 2021 with a 4-4 record and upended Midland 22-8 in this game last year. WACO and Winfield-Mt. Union make a trip west on Saturday afternoon for a special four team showcase at Martensdale-St. Marys. WMU will start up the day at 2 p.m. on the turf going against Audubon. The Wheelers were a dome team last year finishing with a 10-2 record. The Wolves are a program trending in the right direction and look to build off of a 4-3 season. WACO, fresh off of their 10-1 fall in 2021, will look to pick up right where they left off when they dual Southeast Warren for the nightcap in Martensdale. The Warhawks were also a playoff team and bring a lot back from a 5-4 season. 

KCII talks with eight area football coaches every Saturday morning at 9 a.m. throughout the fall to recap games and preview what is ahead on the KCII Radio Coaches Corner. These schools include Washington, Mid-Prairie, Highland, Lone Tree, Sigourney-Keota, WACO, Winfield-Mt. Union, and Columbus Community.