Expectations are high at Council Bluffs St. Albert where the Class 1A second ranked Falcons open on the road at Griswold, tonight (Friday). Coach Kevin Culjat’s team borrowed a theme from many college basketball programs as they conducted their own version of “Midnight Madness” to open pre-season practice. He says with the weather being so hot, they were practicing at night anyway, so that’s the way the kicked-off the season. Culjat says they adopted the theme “First team to practice last team to play.” They rolled out to practice at 12:01-a.m. and worked out for about 2-hours. Afterward the kids got to sleep in the next day. The team ran their second two-a-day practice on Monday night, which allowed them to split the week up. He says the kids and coaches enjoyed the change in practice times.)

Several new faces will be counted on this season. Culjat says they lost seven-out-of 10 players last year to college football. This year’s starting players are ready to step-up to fill their shoes, and he’s anxious to see how they perform tonight. Culjat says the Falcons will be tested by Griswold. He says the Tigers have a very athletic group, and have lost only five or six Seniors, so they have a lot of returning starters, especially on defense. The team also has the speed necessary to run the ball because they also participate in track.

Listen to the game live tonight on KJAN with pre-game at 6:30 and kick-off at 7:00.