CAMBRIDGE - Arapahoe football coach Dustin Kronhofman tends to fret when he doesn’t have any film to prepare for an opponent. Seasons openers are an annual annoyance because there’s not telling what wrinkles an opponent will throw in for a new year.

The Southern Valley/ Alma softball team continued its early-season successes last week, winning four of five contests while taking fifth at Holdrege Invite Saturday. The Saints swept a doubleheader from Alliance and Gothenburg Friday, downing the Bulldogs 12-2 before turning back the Swedes 16-11.

CURTIS - The Medicine Valley Raiders hosted a cross country invite last Thursday. Eight teams competed, including Hi-Line, Southern Valley, and the Raiders themselves.

Alma/Bertrand @ Cambridge 5 p.m. Arapahoe/Hitchcock County @ Dundy County-Stratton 5 p.m.

FRANKLIN - A failure to finish drives on offense and some lackluster tackling led the Southern Valley football team to quicksand in its season opener at Franklin Thursday. Once the Eagles found the trouble, things got worse in a hurry.

HAYES CENTER - Over the course of a high school football game, there are dozens of plays that can tilt the balance of the contest in one team's favor. In Maywood-Hayes Center's season opener against visiting Wilcox-Hildreth Thursday, the game came down to the final minute and the play that was crucial to the outcome was not difficult to identify.

BARTLEY - There was little visiting Heartland Lutheran could do to slow down Southwest in its football season opener Friday night. The Roughriders scored on each possession in the first half as Houston Billeter, who threw for 285 yards and five touchdowns, connected with Deric Kelley and Trenton Williams for long completions and scores to build a 59-8 lead at the break.

The Arapahoe, Cambridge, Maywood-Hayes Center, and Southwest cross country teams competed at the 2024 DCS Invite last Thursday in Benkelman. For Cambridge, the girls and boys teams both placed second.

ELWOOD - The Southern Valley volleyball team got the best of Hi-Line in both teams’ season opener last week. The Eagles swept past the Bulls, 25-13, 25-17, 2516 to claim the victory.

The Hi-Line football team enjoyed a 7-0 lead at halftime, but saw it evaporate in the second half as Arcadia/Loup City scored twice in the third quarter and twice more in the fourth to take a 26-15 victory over the Bulls in Friday’s season opener.