Football schedule preview: Apollo playing second year of Class 3A in 2024

SAINT CLOUD – Football season is finally here and St. Cloud Apollo will soon be back in action after one year in Class 3A.

The Minnesota high school football season starts Thursday, Aug. 29 and the football Eagles are hoping to improve a 2023 record of 1-8. Half of the games on Apollo’s schedule are against teams that went sub-.500 and the Eagles have a favorable home schedule.

Apollo's only win list year, Spectrum, was removed from the schedule and replaced by Columbia Heights. The Eagles will welcome the Hylanders to St. Cloud on Sept. 27 for homecoming. Columbia Heights went 4-5 last year. Apollo's home opponents, the Hylanders, Brooklyn Center, Milaca and New London-Spicer, went a combined 16-20 last year with only NL-S getting a winning record.

Below, let's take a quick look at those contests, and others across Apollo’s 2024 football schedule.

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Road game against new 3A rival Foley

This year will be the second season Apollo has played in Class 3A and last year the Eagles welcomed Foley to St. Cloud for homecoming. The Falcons treated Apollo to a 33-7 drubbing for its fourth loss in a row. The Eagles are hoping to do better on the road Sept. 20 for Week 4.

Foley went 6-5 last year and lost in the Section 5-3A championship game to Annandale. Apollo plays in the same section and beating the Falcons would likely have major seeding implications. The Eagles were only above Pine City in seeding last season.

Homecoming versus Columbia Heights

Week 5 has Columbia Heights traveling up Interstate 94 to play Apollo's homecoming. The Hylanders dropped to Class 3A this year after going 4-5 in 4A last season. One of their wins, Brooklyn Center, also dropped a class and will face Apollo in Week 1.

Columbia Heights had a penchant for blowouts last season – the team was outscored in losses 32.6-8.6 but it also had two big wins. All four of the Hylanders' wins came in row, starting with a 41-6 win Sept. 15 against Minneapolis Edison and a 35-0 win the next week against Twin Cities Charter. Just one of the wins were on the road.

Traveling to the state runner-up

Annandale went 12-1 last year, losing the state title game to Stewartville by a score of 43-13. The Cardinals beat Apollo 34-0 in 2023, rushing for five touchdowns. Apollo is facing Annnadale on Oct. 4 for Week 6 in 2023. The game is the last against a section opponent. It would be a massive road upset for Apollo to come away with a W.

Full Schedule

Each team's 2023 record is noted in parentheses.

7 p.m. Thur. Aug. 29 Brooklyn Center (4-5) at Apollo High School

7 p.m. Fri. Sept. 6 Litchfield (8-2) at Litchfield High School

7 p.m. Fri. Sept. 13 Milaca (3-6) at Apollo High School

7 p.m. Fri. Sept. 20 Foley (6-5) at Foley High School

7 p.m. Fri. Sept. 27 Columbia Heights (4-5) at Apollo High School (Homecoming)

7 p.m. Fri. Oct. 4 Annandale (12-1) at Annandale High School

7 p.m. Fri. Oct. 11 New London-Spicer (6-4) at Apollo High School

7 p.m. Wed. Oct. 16 North St. Paul (2-7) at North Senior High School’s Polar Field

Contact reporter Reid Glenn at rglenn@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Football schedule preview: Apollo playing second year of Class 3A in 2024