It's time to stop hitting your teammate and start pounding on opponents.

The high school football season kicks off tonight in the Metro area and all eight Metro teams are playing.

The schedule features a pair of intracity games and a matchup of two of last year's top teams in the Mississippi Valley Conference.

Here is an overview of tonight's tilts:

Kennedy (0-0) vs. Washington (0-0)

Site: Kingston Stadium

Time: 7:15 p.m. (approximately)

Sophomore game: 5 p.m.

Radio: KGYM (AM-1600, FM-107.5)

Storyline - Kennedy has stumbled out of the blocks each of the last two seasons, so the Cougars are looking to get off to a quick start to the season against a Washington club that graduated 10 players to the college ranks. Kennedy stunned the Warriors, 41-28, in last year's game.

Kennedy - The Cougars return TB Alex Hillyer, who teamed with Trevor Heitland to run for more than 1,500 yards during the regular season last year. Heitland has graduated, but Coach Tim Lewis said junior Miles Moa has been impressive in camp and could play a key role. Senior Riley Fergus takes over at quarterback. Protection passing and holes for the running game are expected to be supplied juniors Austin Holzer and Drew Heitland, both of whom were starters in the line a year ago as sophs. Andrew Johnson and Tommy Kaiser also are key returnees on defense.

Washington - The Warriors start the season with nearly an entirely new cast on both sides of the ball. Senior Mitch Blades has moved from receiver to quarterback, a position he has not played since he was a freshman. Senior Mitch Bredeson led the team in rushing last year with 896 yards and senior Walter Short ran for 348 yards and four touchdowns. Senior Jason Oney caught eight passes, but is expected to play a ore significant role in the air game. Both side of the line will be anchored by senior Zac Gillis.

Jefferson (0-0) at Prairie (0-0)

Site: John Wall Stadium

Time: 7:15 p.m. (approximately)

Sophomore game: 5 p.m.

Storyline - Jefferson begins the Brian Webb Era with Webb coaching his first game for the J-Hawks, and Prairie heads into its second year under the tutelage of Coach Mike Morrissey. Both teams are looking to turn around disappointing 2011 campaigns. Prairie appears to have the horses to do it.

Jefferson - The J-Hawks carry the longest current losing streak among Class 4A schools in the state at 22. They have not won a game in two years. Junior Layne Sullivan took over the quarterback reins halfway through last season and passed for 558 yards and five touchdowns. Senior Drake Allen is the top returning rusher with 59 yards. Allen also is the top returning tackler with 46 stops as a linebacker. Senior Hunter Kloubec is the top returning receiver with six receptions.

Prairie - The Hawks were 2-7 a year ago, but return a ton of experience from that team. Senior quarterback Jace Hanna passed 1,169 yards and six touchdowns. He has three outstanding targets in seniors Jarred Edmonds, Demetrius Harper and Austin Dellamuth. Harper missed most of the season after breaking his collarbone in the second game, but he still caught 11 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns. Edmonds caught 26 passes for 529 yards and seven touchdowns. The Hawks also have a dominant player in the line in sophomore Bryce Meeker (6-5, 270), a varsity starter last season.

Iowa City West (0-0) vs. Linn-Mar (0-0)

Site: Linn-Mar Stadium

Time: 7:15 p.m. (approximately)

Sophomore game: 5 p.m.

Storyline - This is a Week 1 showdown of the two division winners from a year ago. Iowa City West won the Valley Division and Linn-Mar the Mississippi Division. In an interesting twist, both teams swapped divisions this season, so West will compete for a Mississippi title and Linn-Mar a Valley banner. Both teams also have some reloading issues, although Linn-Mar's task would appear monumental after losing a slew of talented seniors, including quarterback Mark Atwater.

Iowa City West - D'Ondre Alexander is a dominant receiver who is considered a Division I prospect in both football and basketball. He caught 65 passes for 974 yards and five touchdowns in last year's 9-3 campaign. Who will throw him the ball is the question mark. The Trojans graduated versatile Charles Rogers to Iowa State. He accounted for more than 3,300 yards of total offense, passing for 2,128 and running for 1,191.  He ran for 23 touchdowns and threw 18 TD passes. The Trojans have two four-year starters in the line in Colin Foerstner and Ben Hilmer.

Linn-Mar - Senior Nick Trabuco ran for 258 yards and senior Zach Martins caught 12 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Justin Green returns in the line. Otherwise, it's pretty much a whole new crew for the Lions. Rhys Davis inherits the reins at quarterback. He threw one pass a year ago. Junior Ross Lembeck totaled for 114 yards rushing in a pair of playoff games and could provide a boost at running back where the Lions lost 1,000-yard rusher Mitch Wantock. The Lions also lost a standout wide receiver Andy Henry, who caught 53 passes for 1,020 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Hempstead (0-0) at Xavier (0-0)

Site: Saints Field

Time: 7:15 p.m. (approximately)

Sophomore game: 5 p.m.

Radio: KMRY (AM-1450)

Storyline - Hempstead won three games a year ago and one of its losses was a 34-0 shellacking at the hands of Xavier. The Saints are looking to build on a 5-5 mark that included a first-round loss in the playoffs.

Hempstead - The Mustangs graduated quarterback Luke Ploessl and top rusher Layton Fritsch. Junior Jake Hodge ran for 436 yards and four touchdowns last season as a soph. Senior Kyle Frommelt is the top returning tackler with 30 stops.

Xavier - The Saints have been known for running the ball under Coach Duane Schulte, but it appears they will have a strong passing game also with senior Reggie Schulte at quarterback. Schulte, the coach's son, completed 65.5 percent of his passes a year ago for 1,501 yards and 12 TDs. Senior Corbin Woods is a sure-handed receiver who snared 33 passes for 435 yards and five TDs last season. The Saints graduated Carter Valentine, who ran for 1,149 yards. Senior Cal Stovie carried the ball only 13 times for 55 yards last season. If you're thinking drop off, Valentine rushed for only 98 yards as a junior.

Marion (0-0) at Mount Pleasant (0-0)

Site: Mapleleaf complex

Time: 7:30 p.m. (approximately)

Sophomore game: 5:15 p.m.

Storyline - Marion begins its quest for a return to the Class 3A playoffs with a non-district game at Mount Pleasant.

Marion - The Indians gained a wealth of experience a year ago when they had only eight seniors on their roster. Lineman Zach Borens (6-8, 345) is being recruited by Wisconsin, Iowa and Iowa State. The Indians have another giant in the line in Mitch Ross (6-2, 300). They are expected to create holes for Trev Biery and Tyler Gunderson, who ran for 329 and 140 yards, respectively. Junor Trevor Hardman takes over at quarterback.

Mount Pleasant - The Panthers also struggled through a disappointing 4-5 season a year ago and graduated their quarterback and top running back. Leading receiver Dalton Conrad is back, though, and he caught 31 passes for 558 yards and six touchdowns.

Cedar Valley Christian (0-0) at HLV (0-0)

Site: HLV High School, Victor

Time: 7 p.m.

Storyline - Cedar Valley Christian is looking for its first win in its second season of having a football program. The Huskies were 0-4 a year ago, but play a full nine-game schedule this season. HLV was 2-7 a year ago. This is Cedar Valley's only non-district game.

Cedar Valley - The Huskies have a 14-man roster that includes little experience from a year ago. Leading rusher Nick Henderson and receiver David Sperling graduated. Unfortunately, building a program takes time and patience. Fortunately, the Cedar Valley faithful seem to have loads of patience and may be the most positive and enthusiastic cheering section in the state. The Huskies will need all of the above during this campaign.

HLV - The Warriors graduated their top two running backs and receivers, but they return senior quarterback Cole Lahndorf, who passed for 584 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran 76 times for 332 yards and four touchdowns. HLV lists 31 players on its roster, more than twice as many as Cedar Valley will suit up.