Feature Photo By: Izzy Honey– The Rangeview football team practices in preparation for the season opener. The team will make their debut in the 5A Mt. Wilson league for the first time.

The time is finally here. Packed stands, hot concessions, hard-hits, and face paint are all back at Rangeview High School for one reason: the football season is finally kicking off. The Raiders are going to square off against the Doherty Spartans in their first regular season game in hopes to take home a win.

The season opener sets the tone for the rest of the season as the Raiders have set winning their first game as a high priority, especially since they debut in a new league (5A Mt. Wilson).

“Our motto going into this game is 1-0 is all that matters,” says Head Coach, Justin Hoffman. “It is very important to take things one game at a time.”

Winning has certainly been on the minds of the football team for months now. The team has been practicing since spring and they are ready to take on their first challenge as a newly assembled team.

When asked if the team was ready to kick-off the season, Coach Hoffman did not hesitate to exercise his confidence, “Heck yes we are ready. The team has gone through adversity through a harsh summer, but we have developed a family type atmosphere as a team.”

The season opener not only brings jitters to the fans and staff but, most importantly, brings excitement to the players.

Junior Alex Fragoso expresses his enthusiasm saying, “I am more than excited to be going up against Doherty for our week one matchup. They’re a team we are relatively new to playing against which is always exciting, and I can’t wait to see what they bring to the table.”

Fragoso, who plays defensive end for the Raiders, continued to break down the game plan stating, “Taking a win tomorrow is going to involve a couple of key factors. First off, as a team we have to have unity. We have to flow together with 11 guys being productive together all at once. After that, we all have to focus on the little details such as alignments, assignments, attitudes, and efforts.”

Fragoso followed his analysis with confidence saying, “I know we have what it takes to bring home the win tomorrow and we are up to the challenge.”

Doherty was 2-4 when traveling last year, while the Raiders were 2-2 at home, giving Rangeview the advantage on their own turf.

The battle will take place at 7:30 p.m tonight, September 1st, at the APS Stadium.

Link to game info via Maxpreps: http://t.maxpreps.com/2bNxMVc