Right after the first night of games, Monday is the most anticipated day of the year for high school football players around the state.

Bureau County players were excited to get started for the first official practices of the 2025 season. For three teams, Bureau Valley (Pat Elder), Hall (Nick Sterling) and St. Bede (Jack Brady) it came under the direction of new head coaches.

Here’s what it means to the players in their own words:

BV senior Brandon Carrington: “Today for me is just about getting back into practice and working with the team to get better and learn new things.”

BV senior Tyce Barkman: “This day means it’s time to lock in and get prepared for our first game and every game after that to do everything we can as a team to get as far as we can into the playoffs.”

Princeton senior captain Casey Etheridge: “The day means the world considering I’m going into my senior season and we got one more chance to get our goals accomplished,”

Princeton senior captain Rhett Pearson: “It’s nice to be back out here. We’re all excited for the season. It’s a great day.”

Hall senior captain Braden Curran: “I’m excited for practice and excited to see what we can do this year.”

St. Bede senior Chuck Riva: This day was very exciting, we had a long week off and it was good to get back in the flow of things and get ready for the season."

St. Bede senior Jose De La Torre: "I couldn’t be more excited for my senior year. Today’s first practice was huge. It’s the first of many ‘lasts’ for me. With Coach Brady bringing a ton of energy as our new head coach, I truly believe we’re in for a special season. Today was the first step in building something we’ll be proud to leave behind."

Here’s a quick take at each team’s opening day practice:

At Princeton: Pearson came out of the equipment shed at Little Siberia and said, “Let’s go” at 3:30 p.m. sharp. He gave the Tigers a motivational speech and then allowed each class to choose which conditioning drill they wanted to start with.

The Tigers opened camp with about 65 players coming off their fourth straight quarterfinal appearance, setting their sights on going deeper in the playoffs and getting back on top the Three Rivers Mississippi Division after being bumped by Monmouth-Roseville.

Pearson said the Tigers had a good first practice getting reacclimated going without shoulders pads after spending the summer in them.

“Overall, we felt it went really well today,” he said. “It’s tough because we go shoulder pads and helmets all summer. It’s really almost taking a step back because first two days you got to go helmets only.

“It’s a lot of walk-through stuff and teaching and going over assignments. I thought having to dial things back to where we have been, the kids did a really good job of that today adapting to a new format and staying in and being focused.”

Pearson said having to start practices without the shoulders is a hot topic of conversation with the IHSA advisory committee.

The Tigers will open the season on Friday, Aug. 29 at Sterling Newman.

At Bureau Valley: Elder said the first practice for the Storm dealt with a lot of instruction.

“Lots of explaining on all fronts today: modes of operation, drills, techniques used, terminology, etc., but our players have been receptive & eager,” he said. “It’s going to take time for things to run smoothly but they will. Very impressed with our player coachability.

Elder said there are 32 players in camp.

The Storm will travel to St. Bede to open the season on Aug. 29.

At Hall: Sterling, a 1998 Hall alum and former Red Devils standout, started his first practice with about 60 kids in camp, a number he said could go up. He said after a slow start, the Red Devils finished strong.

“Maybe a little bit of a sluggish start with the heat at the beginning. The second half, three quarters was definitely really good and where they needed to be. Pretty much picked up where they left off,” he said. “They got amped up in our final conditioning. That kind of got me fired up, too. It was good. I was definitely happy. Just steps of many that we have to keep taking.”

The Red Devils will open the season on Aug. 29 at Orion.

At St. Bede: Brady, a former Bruins quarterback and longtime assistant, started his first practice with 57 players in tow, including a large freshmen class of 28 strong.

“It was great to get back to practice with the kids,” Brady said. “Happy to be able to get them some good conditioning and utilizing the no pads days to work on our special teams. Excited to hit the ground running preparing for week one.”

The Bruins will host Bureau Valley in their Aug. 29 season opener.

At Amboy: The Clippers began their rebuild coming off the 8-Man Association State championship with 36 players in camp with 30 from Amboy, five from LaMoille and one from Ohio.

Assistant coach Kenny Shrimplin said the first practice went well.

“We had high energy. Kids excited to be out on the football field practicing,” he said.

The Clippers will welcome Milledgeville to the Harbor to kick off the season on Aug. 29.