Quest for Champaign starts today as football practice begins

With hard work and a little luck, some of the area's high school football teams will compete for a state championship on the frigid Memorial Stadium field in Champaign on Thanksgiving weekend.

But first things first.

High school football practices began on a picture-perfect August morning across the state Wednesday. The familiar first steps were taken - the distribution of pads and helmets, conditioning and drills, and, of course, frequent water breaks.

There's no time to waste, as the season openers are fast approaching on Friday, Aug. 28. After nine weeks of regular-season games and four rounds of playoffs, the state finalists will meet Nov. 27-28 on the University of Illinois campus.

Here's a look at the beginning of the long journey ahead.

It's that time of the season.

First day photo galleries

• St. Viator

• Elk Grove High

• Montini High

• Carmel High

• Stevenson High

• Naperville North High

• Wheaton North High

• Batavia High

• Geneva High

• Elgin High

• Dundee-Crown High

• Bartlett High

• St. Charles North High

• Antioch High

<div id="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Related stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="http://football.dailyherald.com/">Daily Herald's Football Focus</a></li> <li><a href="http://football.dailyherald.com/galleries/">Prep football galleries</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>