SAN ANGELO, TX— District play has arrived for the Robert Lee Steers and Menard Yellowjackets, both teams showing significant improvement during pre-district play, fully aware of the crucial importance of Friday night’s game for their future success.

“When the season started, we set goals for ourselves. One of them was we wanted to be in contention for a playoff spot, and it starts Friday,” said Robert Lee head coach Lee McCown.

“This is a stressful first district game. Last year, we found out pretty quickly that it has a lot of playoff implications on the line. They are a phenomenal football team, and you expect these games to be late in the year, but this one is right out of the gate,” said Menard Yellowjackets Bryson Oliver.

Having faced each other last year, they have a good understanding of what to anticipate on the field and are well aware of the athleticism displayed by both teams.

“They came over here last year, and they beat us. They are a well-coached team, but we know a little bit more about them, and they know a little bit more about us. It should be a good ballgame,” said McCown.

Both programs encounter a substantial evaluation opportunity to measure their strengths and identify areas for improvement.

“We have just been focusing on their athleticism and trying to be and trying to be a physical team and try to counteract with their athleticism. They are a lot faster than teams we have seen this year, and coach McCown has done a great job over there building the program, and they are forcing us to prepare for things in early October,” said Oliver.