Friday Night Lights are approaching!

High school sports are back.

Practice for the 2024-25 school year opened Monday, giving away to football, flag football, cross country, golf, boys soccer, girls swimming, girls tennis and volleyball starting their respective seasons. Games, matches and meets will begin in the next few weeks with football opening night on Aug. 30.

The buzz around the first day of practices can be contagious, with a new campaign on the horizon. Seniors are suiting up for the final time, while those underclassmen are getting their first taste of those Friday night lights.

It's always great when football is back.

Here are a few football stories from this past week along with an outlook of some players to watch in cross country, golf and girls tennis.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Friday Night Lights are approaching!