The Atlantic Trojans football team opens up the season tonight at Saydel and the team is excited to get out there. The Trojans make the adjustment from Class 3A to 2A for this season and will open up against a 2A opponent with that experience behind them. Saydel made the jump from Class 3A to 2A in 2016 and Eagles Head Coach Justin Russell said it has been a very positive experience for his school.

Atlantic Head Coach Mike McDermott said he knows Saydel will be a tough opponent. He wants his kids to know that making a class change doesn’t automatically change anything on the football field.

Atlantic returns some great speed on offense and Coach McDermott said they will start simple with some guys in new roles and expand from there. Defensively the Trojans will be looking to build experience and depth as the season moves along. They have plenty of guys with experience but some position changes have been made and some guys will take on a much larger role this year so game experience is going to help them gel. The Trojans will face a number of looks from Saydel’s offense.

Coach Russell said the Eagles have focused on building individual skills leading into the season.

We’ll have coverage of the Eagles and Trojans on KJAN tonight with pregame at 6:30pm and kickoff at 7:00pm. Chris Parks and Seth Christensen will have the call for you on-air, online, on the mobile app, and live video through our facebook page. Hear a full rundown with Coach McDermott on Trojan Preview at 4:45pm Friday and catch our weekly pick ’em show Who’s Gonna Win? at 6:00pm. Stay tuned after the game as well as we will bring you postgame interviews followed by the Iowa High School Scoreboard Show from Radio Iowa which will bring you all the scores from around the state from 10:00pm-11:30pm on KJAN.