sunthisweek . com Football Preview • Friday , August 30 , 2024 Page 3
Friday night lights return
South metro teams filled with storylines
Welcome to Sun Thisweek and the Dakota County Tribune ’ s Football Prep Preview 2024 .
Inside readers will find coverage of each of the teams in public school districts for Burnsville-Eagan-Savage , Farmington , Lakeville , and Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan .
That ’ s eight teams in all that are covered by our sports reporter Mike Shaughnessy who gets an assist in the preview section from the newspaper ’ s summer intern , CJ Wrzesien , a journalism student at Hamline University .
Readers can find out about season expectations for each squad .
Mike and CJ have done a great job finding the storyline for each team , which says a lot about the players ’ leadership , dedication and joy for a sport they love to play . That also goes for their coaches who spend a great amount of their time and effort on not only physical development of their players , but also emotional and leadership skills .
There ’ s also a great sense of community pride that comes in supporting extracurricular endeavors
Football Prep Preview 2024
of our young people . That comes through clearly when Friday night lights appear at local football stadiums around the south metro .
We hope readers enjoy the section along with all of our other previews for area teams this fall , which will run on the Sports pages in the coming weeks .
And we also hope you take time to support these young athletes by attending a game or performance at one of our local high schools .
Enjoy ! – Tad Johnson , managing editor
Photo by Mike Shaughnessy
A Rosemount ball carrier looks for an opening during practice last week . The Irish reached the state Class 6A quarterfinals last season but are intent on going further this year .
Photo by CJ Wrzesien
Lakeville South will be led by a running attack that includes contributions from Jonah Shine and Connor Cade .
Photo by Mike Shaughnessy
Hopes are high for Eagan football after last season , when the Wildcats won a home playoff game for the first time in nine years .
Photo by Mike Shaughnessy
Eastview ’ s football team is hoping for a balanced offense to complement what the Lightning believe will be an improved defense .
Photo by Mike Shaughnessy
Kickoff for Farmington ’ s 2024 football season is Thursday , Aug . 29 , against Mounds View at Tiger Stadium . The Tigers , who have a large number of returning players , are looking to improve on their 3-6 record from 2023 .