On Saturday, the Moose Jaw High School Football League will kick off with the first instalment of what is sure to become the next big rivalry between Estevan and Weyburn.
For the Estevan Comprehensive School Elecs, it will mark the beginning of their fourth season.
On the other hand, it will be the first game in the MJHSFL for the Weyburn Eagles, who left the Regina Intercollegiate Football League during the off-season.
"We're really excited that Weyburn is in our league. I think it's great for the Estevan-Weyburn rivalry. We're going to be ready," said Elecs head coach Mark Schott.
Kick-off time is 5 p.m. The game will conclude a full day of football, with the three minor teams playing earlier. Former Saskatchewan Roughriders Don Narcisse and Scott Schultz will also be on hand.
The Elecs are expected to add a few more bodies once school starts and they get some players from schools they are affiliated with, such as in the Carlyle area, but the offensive picture is already coming together.
Second-year quarterback Kolby Fleury leads a group that also includes fullback Tyler Hodgson, rookie running back Kaleb Memory and receivers Evan Tarnes, Ian Ferguson and Austin Garchinsky.
"Our skilled positions on offence are all back," said Schott. "Granted, we did lose some from those positions last year, but we have guys returning at all of those positions. So I think we should be pretty strong at the skilled spots. We do need more linemen on both sides of the ball, but from an offensive standpoint, we should be good."
Schott is expecting more out of Fleury this year after getting his feet wet at the high school level.
"He'll be huge for us this year. He's got a strong arm, he's really smart and he's a great athlete," Schott said.
"He's a lot more confident this year. I think he was a little unsure as to what to expect at the high school level. He's got one year under his belt and he just seems more comfortable. That's a huge thing from the quarterback position, to have somebody with some confidence and we're hoping that translates to some more success out on the field."
Memory, who was a standout with the bantam Steelers last season, has impressed in camp.
"He's really athletic, strong on his feet, he's hard to bring down and that's exactly what you want out of a running back," said Schott.
Defensively, Schott said some players are still being moved around to try to find the best positions for them.
There are a few returning players in particular that the Elecs will key on.
"Nolan Tide, he's going to be a big stud for us on the defensive line. (Linebackers) Isaac Elder and Jeremy Godfrey will be making lots of tackles for us out there," said Schott.
The Elecs are coming off a 2-4 season that saw them lose 42-3 to the powerhouse Vanier Vikings in the semifinals.
Although the team lost close to 20 players from last year, Schott said enough veterans are back that it didn't take long to establish fundamentals and system play in this year's camp.
"Our guys are really smart out here. They're catching on really fast," he said. "I'd say we're further along at this point than we were last year, where we had a lot of rookies last year and a lot of our key guys, especially on offence, are returning, so we're able to speed things up a bit."
