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Mark McKenzie(NewsDakota.com)…The season and home opener for Blue Jay football will take place on Friday night at Gates Field in Jamestown.

The Jays will open up with Devils Lake. The Firebirds move back to the Triple “A” level, after competing at the Double “A” division the past few years. The Jays are coming off a 1-8 season, and were outscored in those nine contests 280-129.

Bill Cahill returns for his 14th year as head coach, and he has 84 kids out for football this season, grades nine through twelve “We have running backs with experience, and we return three starting offensive lineman. We lack the most experience on defense, and we need to make strides on that side of the the ball. Last year we had a tough time defensively, and if we don’t improve, it could be another long year.”

The Firebirds move up a level after great success the past couple seasons at the Double “A” Division. Last year Devils Lake lost to Fargo Shanley in the state title game. “As much as I hate to put pressure on anybody, I must say, for a non-conference preseason game, I label this one crucial.” says Cahill, “We don’t have to win, but we need to perform well to gain early season confidence.”

Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m., with coverage on AM 1400 KQDJ and newsdakota.com with Mark McKenzie and Darby Heinert, starting with the pregame show at 6:35 p.m..