With the high school football season beginning this Thursday, it’s time to get ready for some hard hitting on the crisp, cool nights of fall.

Sometimes the best hits don’t come from the biggest players and I couldn’t help but think about that as I was visiting area football practices for the season previews last week.

Two of the better teams in the area may very well be two of the smallest teams — Southland and Blooming Prairie.

In the past, the Awesome Blossoms have used a passing game that relies more on skill than power from their offensive linemen and that trend seems to remain the same. However, these guys can are athletic and can get out and push, so there should be a good mix of running plays in the mix as well this year.

Southland has traditionally had big, strong immovable lines, but this year they’re a little bit on the lean side.

The Rebels do have an overwhelming abundance of one thing that every coach desires — pure speed. It’s not just one player either and Southland will be able to attack from many different angles on offense.

In fact, having a smaller, more athletic line may actually open up their offense a little bit this season and create more big plays.

Now that Southland has moved down to Class ‘A’, these two teams could end up meeting in the postseason this year.

From watching the practices, I can tell you right now it would be a game to remember.

Even without the big guys.