The Metro high school football season begins this Friday night with a full slate of games.

The last three weeks we have interviewed all eight coaches on our Saturday morning Coaches Corner Show on KGYM Radio.

Here are some thoughts on each team as we head into the season:

Cedar Valley Christian -

The Huskies head into their second varsity season of existence looking to continue to build their program. Head Coach Ed Betsworth is taking the correct approach, building the program from the bottom up, starting with youth programs. He has overseen an installation of younger grade level teams that will get kids not only interested in the game, but will teach them fundamentals and the Cedar Valley system. As for this year's squad, the Huskies only have 12 players for their eight-man team, so the challenge will be keeping everyone healthy. With low numbers how do you give yourself a chance to be successful? You give the opposition something to think about, and that is what the Huskies are doing. Coach Betsworth has taken a page from the Sigourney playbook of the last couple of decades and put in the single wing offense. It gives the opponents something to worry about in practice and also gets his own kids, and future kids, interested in a fun offense. Kudos to him for his thinking. The Huskies will be improved but may not win a ton of games because of their lack of depth, but they will be a lot of fun to watch.

Jefferson -

The J-Hawks begin the Brian Webb era on Friday night when they meet Prairie in the "Kolache Bowl." Coach Webb comes to Jefferson after a successful stop at Carroll Kuemper and several years of apprenticeships under some of the top coaches in Iowa. He has seen winning first hand and knows what it takes to do the same on the west side. The question is how long it will take. The J-Hawks have small numbers on the varsity for this season, but have some talent. Layne Sullivan has the chance to be a good leader and a fine quarterback behind an offensive line that has some promise. The question is can they stay healthy and move the ball against some terrific defenses on their schedule? The biggest question though is can the mentality be changed at Jefferson? It has to start at the lower levels and that is one of the things that Coach Webb is working to do this fall. The J-Hawks can take that first step this year, but it will be a challenge against a loaded schedule.

Kennedy -

On paper, the Cougars look to be one of the Mississippi Valley's top teams going into the season. The Cougars played many underclassmen a year ago and, after a low start, reached the playoffs before losing to Iowa City High on the road. Those players are back now, and many of them are seniors, looking to take Kennedy to the next step. The Cougars should be solid up front with an experienced offensive line led by juniors Austin Holzer and Drew Heitland. It will be a big and mobile offensive line plowing the way for returning back Alex Hillyer, who ran for nearly 900 yards a season ago. Kennedy played a lot of two tailback football last fall, and may do that again this year with Hillyer and junior Miles Moa. Defensively, Kennedy will bring back linebacker David Hynek to spearhead the defense, along with defensive back Andrew Johnson. The Cougars also will have perhaps the top punter returning in the conference in Brock Skow, who could be a big weapon. The parts are there for Coach Tim Lewis and the Cougars to be big time challengers in the MVC for 2012.

Linn-Mar -

No team has more to replace this season than Coach Bob Forsyth and the Linn-Mar Lions. The Lions only return three players with a good amount of varsity experience. But there is still optimism on the north side of Marion for this fall. That's because of the program Forsyth has built at Linn-Mar. This will be a big challenge this fall, though, as Linn-Mar looks to break in nearly a new set of skilled players and linemen. The good news is that Nick Trubucco is back at both a running back and linebacker. He was one of the mainstays of the Lions' defense a year ago, and will get to tote the ball more this fall along with junior Ross Lembeck, who got some carries in the postseason. Justin Green will return on the line and will be the lynchpin of a group that will protect new quarterback Rhys Davis, who will try to fill the huge shoes of Mark Atwater. The Lions have a very challenging schedule, but are taking their defense of the conference title very seriously. Look for the Lions to make marked improvement as the year progresses and to be a tough out at the end.

Marion -

This is a year of redemption for the Marion Indians. Marion missed out on the playoffs a year ago with a young group that is hungry to make amends. The Indians have to replace all-stater Colton Storla at running back. But the candidates that will carry the mail will run behind a huge offensive line. The Indians' line this year features a pair of 300-plus pounders in Zach Borens and Mitch Ross. They will lead a group that will block for runners such as Trev Biery and Tyler Gunderson. The task will not be easy, as the Indians find themselves in a brutally tough district this fall that includes the likes of Solon and DeWitt Central along with non-district games with Decorah and Mount Pleasant. But the personnel is there for a run deep into the postseason.

Prairie -

Expectations are high for the Hawks and second-year Coach Mike Morrissey. Prairie had a terrific off-season and return a talented group of players that gained a great deal of experience a year ago in the brand new system. The Hawks will be led by returning quarterback Jace Hanna, a terrific all-around athlete who can run or pass equally well. The passing game will feature a bevy of top-flight performers in Demetrius Harper and Jarred Edmonds. The defense will bring back Tristan Beyer and Mitch Dellamuth, a pair of all MVC performers along with Bryce Meeker, a sophomore who is already gaining some recruiting attention among top colleges in the Midwest. The Hawks learned a lot a year ago, and were in nearly every game during their 2-7 regular season. Many experts are predicting that Prairie will be the darkhorse team of the league this fall and will possibly contend for a conference championship.

Washington -

The Warriors were the last team standing in the Metro a year ago, and probably no one would have predicted that midway through the regular season. But once again Coach Tony Lombardi's troops played their best football at the end of the year and the Warriors were just a few points shy of making it to the Dome. Gone are many great seniors off of that team that are on to college football this fall. Along with Linn-Mar, Washington probably has the most starting spots to fill in the MVC. But the cupboard is not completely bare. Mitch Blades will step in at quarterback and will be a dual threat that Coach Lombardi loves to feature. He can run or pass and will look to keep defenses on their toes. Mitch Bredeson returns a s a feature running back after subbing a year ago for Will Griffin and making a name for himself at the start of the year. The biggest question for Washington will be on the offensive and defensive lines. Zac Gillis returns up front and will man both sides of the line, but other than that the names will be new this fall. The question is how fast will the new players adapt to MVC varsity play? Blades, along with Noah Dostal, return on a defense that also must replace a lot of talent. Much like Linn-Mar, the Warriors will look to get better as the year progresses and be playing their best football toward November.

Xavier -  Expectations are high at Xavier after an uncharacteristic 5-5 season a year ago. The first thing one will notice this fall are the huge numbers for the Saints. Around 75 players will be suited up for the varsity, which will be among the largest squads in the conference and state. Another thing to notice will be the talent. The Saints return quarterback Reggie Schulte, the son of Head Coach Duane Schulte. Reggie threw for around 1,500 yards a season ago and is a terrific leader on the field and off. Plenty of speed returns in the backfield, led by Cal Stovie. Corbin Woods is back as the top receiver. The defense will be among the conference's best with Craig Murtha, Emiliano Martinez and Trey Sampson coming back. It will be a typical Xavier team of talented, fundamentally sound players that play the game the way it should be played. The senior and junior classes have known success through the years for the Saints and if they mesh together they could produce a very potent combination. This will definitely be a team to be reckoned with this fall.

There you have it, a snapshot of what I expect this Fall in the Metro area. The fun starts Friday night, and I invite everyone to join our call on 1600 AM as we kick things off with Kennedy meeting Washington at 7 p.m. Enjoy the thrills and spills of football 2012!

(Scott Unash is the sports and program director at KGYM-AM 1600 (FM 106.3). He is a six-time winner of the Iowa Broadcast News Association play-by-play Announcer of the Year Award. Scott and Mark Dukes co-host the Gym Class weekdays from 3-4 p.m. on KGYM-AM 1600 and FM-106.3)