The preseason jamborees are over, the daily practices are becoming fewer as the week rolls along.

This Thursday night will mark the season-opener for some of the area high school football teams, while others begin their season Friday night.

Four area teams will be in action Thursday night, headlined by Central Christian Academy hosting Calvary Christian.

In other action scheduled for Thursday night, the Marion Military Institute Tigers will kick off the season at home against Southern Academy.

Francis Marion will be on the road Thursday night at Sunshine High in Newbern. In the other Thursday night game, Wilcox Central will visit Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery.

A pair of rivalries will take center stage Friday night. The Selma High School Saints will entertain the Southside Panthers at Memorial Stadium. The Saints are coming off their rainy 33-0 win Friday night over the Keith High School Bears in a preseason jamboree at

Memorial Stadium.

Meanwhile, the Southside Panthers did not participate in a preseason exhibition and will take the field in competition for the first time this season on Friday night.

The other rivalry Friday night pits the Dallas County Hornets against the host Maplesville Red Devils.

Dallas County will seek its third consecutive victory over Maplesville and new head coach Brent Hubbard. The Hornets are coming off their jamboree Thursday night in which the junior varsity and varsity teams combined for 410 yards total offense. The Hornets’ junior varsity squad went on to a 12-0 win, while the varsity team battled West Brocton to a 14-14 tie.

Maplesville’s scheduled exhibition last Friday night was canceled after heavy rain hitthe area.

Although his team was in action, Dallas County head coach Rick Bush gave the nod Friday night to Maplesville.

“We’re beat up a little bit right now,” Bush said. “(Maplesville) has seen us. They know what we’ve got and what we’re going to do.”

Maplesville head coach Brent Hubbard has been emphasizing to his players this week that Dallas County has scored 101 points the past two seasons against the Red Devils. Dallas County won last year, 42-6, after a 59-12 win in 2002.

“This is a tough way for a first-year coach at Maplesville to start off, playing a powerhouse 4A team like Dallas County,” the rookie coach said. “If we hold them to under 40 points this year, we’ll have accomplished something.”

In other action this Friday night, Keith will host A.L. Johnson; Morgan Academy will be at Edgewood; Meadowview Christian School will travel to Abbeville; and Wilcox Academy will visit Monroe Academy.