It’s that time of the year again high school football fans.

All 15 Don Raabe Big 30 Charities Classic Pennsylvania teams
begin practice today in preparation for openers the weekend of
Sept. 4-5.

Below is a capsule look at each team:

Bradford

First-year coach Jeff Puglio will welcome approximately 40
players today. Practices will run from 8 to 10 a.m. and 5 to 7 p.m.
“We will rely on our depth this season,” Puglio said. “We had a lot
of young guys get experience last year.” The Owls have 12 returning
lettermen on the roster. Bradford opens its season with a pair of
non-league games. On Sept. 4 the Owls host Fairview at 7 p.m. and
then Sept. 12 they will travel to Olean, N.Y., for the 112th game
in their series with the Huskies. Bradford will begin its second
season in the District 10 Region 6 conference Sept. 18 when it
hosts Erie Central.

Otto-Eldred

The Otto-Eldred Terrors will practice 4-6 p.m. and 6:30-8:30
p.m. Coach Luke Breese expects 35 players on the team, an increase
of at least 10 players from the 2008 season. “Numbers are up and
things are looking positive,” noted Breese. “Everyone has been
working hard and expectations are high, especially for our
returning lettermen who we know we will get good leadership from.
We have been keeping everyone together this summer and working them
out.”

Smethport

The Smethport Hubbers will practice 8-10:30 a.m. and 1-3:30 p.m.
Coach Ryan Yingling is expecting to field a team with similar
numbers from the 2008 season with about 34 players on the roster.
“We have 10 to 15 returning lettermen and we are optimistic about
the upcoming year,” said Yingling. “We have had a good core group
of kids in the weight room this summer.”

Kane

Kane coach Jason Barner will have his squad practicing 9-11:15
a.m. and 1:30-3:30 p.m. “We have a young team,” Barner said. “A lot
of our lettermen gained valuable experience last year. We have good
team speed and high expectations.” The Wolves will dress 30 players
this season.

Port Allegany

Gators coach Mike Bodamer is expecting 30 players on his roster
as Port Allegany takes to the practice field today from 8 to 9:45
a.m., 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., while the
junior high will be practicing from 3:30 to 6 p.m. The Gators are
returning 14 starters, seven on offense and seven on defense. “We
have our skilled players, but our lack of big kids could affect
us,” said Bodamer. “We just need to find our offensive line.”

Sheffield

The Sheffield Wolverines will practice 8:30-11 a.m. and 1-3:30
p.m. First-year head coach Brian Gould expects a noticeable
increase in players on the roster with the addition of a co-op with
Abraxas. “Our key returning players are seniors Craig Fitch at
quarterback and Jimmy Hahn at tailback,” said Gould. “We have good
athletes on both sides of the ball this year and as far as I can
see at this point, we are going to be a lot more competitive this
year than in the past.”

Coudersport

The Coudersport Falcons practice 8:30-10:30 a.m. and 2:30-4:30
p.m. through Thursday. On Friday, practice will be 3:30-5:30 p.m.
and 7-8:45 p.m. Coach Brendan Hathaway expects a similar roster
from the 2008 season with roughly 35 players participating. “Our
line will be our strength on offense. We’re big up front with an
average of 240 pounds,” stated Hathaway. “Our four returning
lettermen on offense brings our experience up front. With an
implementation of a new offense, a lot of young kids that have been
putting in the work this summer will have to step up.”

Cameron County

Returning District 9 Class A champion Cameron County practices
from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. until Friday when practice will be 3:30 to 6
p.m. Of the 45 players that the Red Raiders are returning, 18 are
lettermen and nine were starters in 2008. “The last few years we
didn’t have good seasons,” said coach John Fragale. “But since we
won the district title last year, enthusiasm about the team is up
and kids want to be a part of the program. We lost some seniors
from last year, but we have a great nucleus coming back. If they
play together, we should do just fine.”

Johnsonburg

The Johnsonburg Rams take to the practice field today at 9-11
a.m., 1-3 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Workouts the second week will be 3:30-8
p.m. The Rams’ roster remains steady at 25, with 10 returning
lettermen and six returning starters. “We are a younger team, but
the youth will be good for the future,” said coach Tom Launer. “We
should be a competitive team with good skill position. The strength
of our team is the defense. We won six games last year and we would
like to win six games this year. We will not blow teams away, but
we will be competitive in all the games.”

Elk County Catholic

The Elk County Catholic Crusaders practice today from 8 to 10
a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. Numbers are down from last year, but the
Crusaders expect to return at least 25 players. “We have a good
returning backfield, with our quarterback and running backs,” noted
coach Travis Skrzypek. “We’re going to be missing some guys from
the line, with only two guys with time returning. We are
optimistic, with 12 to 13 lettermen returning. We are open to
anything on offense and defense and we need to keep our guys
healthy. Our team’s health will determine a lot of our
success.”

St. Marys

Dutch coach Joe Schlimm welcomes his 40-man roster to the
practice field today as St. Marys begins workouts from 11 a.m. to 6
p.m. The roster includes 10 returning starters and lettermen from
the 2008 campaign. “We’re optimistic,” Schlimm said. “We feel we
have a talented group and we have high expectations of them. Our
experience coming back is our strength. The senior leadership will
get us through the tough times.”

Ridgway

The Ridgway Elkers will practice 8-10:15 a.m. and 11:30
a.m.-1:45 p.m. beginning today. Coach Mark Heindl said he has some
important players returning. “We return some key kids,” Heindl
admitted. “But it all depends on our offensive and defensive lines.
We have a good core of returning players and a great sophomore
class coming up.” The Elkers return six starters on both offense
and defense to lead their 35-man roster.

Eisenhower

The Eisenhower Knights practice 8:30-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m.
starting today. Coach Jim Penley expects player numbers to be up a
little this year with 45 players on the roster. “Of the 22
positions to be filled, we have 16 returning starters and 19
returning lettermen,” he said. “We would like to be a playoff bound
team and do something once we get there, but some maturity needs to
take place. Last season we were 4-6 and lost five games by less
than two touchdowns. If these kids can make the plays at the end of
the game this year that they didn’t last year, then we can go to
the playoffs.”

Youngsville

Tony Tridico is feeling confident as his squad takes to the
practice field 6:45 a.m.-noon for the first week of practice. The
second week of practice will be 2:45-8 p.m.. “We’re a young team,
but we’re better than what we have been,” said Tridico. The Eagles
return five seniors and an arsenal of eager young talent that
includes 31 players total. “Roster numbers are up quite a bit up
from last year. If we can get out of the gates early and get in a
winning mindset, we will be in good shape,” noted Tridico.

Warren

The Warren Dragons kick off practice 1-3:30 p.m. and 5-7:30 p.m.
Coach Brad Wright says his numbers are up with 45-50 players on the
team. “I am expecting a lot from our key players Colter Johnson
(DE, TE, kicker), Matt Stapleford (QB, safety) and T.J. Latimer
(FB, LB),” said Wright. “We should have a much better season than
the 2-8 season in 2008. It will be nice to raise the bar and win a
few more games.”