Cleveland/Immanuel Lutheran vs. Spring Grove
7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 1

Southern Minnesota has been a hotbed for powerhouse 9-Man football programs -- specifically Section 1 -- for the better half of the past decade, and it potentially just got better.

While the section possesses four-time reigning state champion Grand Meadow and Spring Grove, Cleveland has entered the mix as a contender after reaching last year's state title game -- where it lost to Grand Meadow.

The Clippers have a chance to further validate themselves Friday in the season opener when they visit Spring Grove in a battle of teams that finished in the top-5 of last season's final state rankings.

Spring Grove, which features junior Alex Folz at quarterback, has posted a 57-10 record over the last six seasons, but Grand Meadow has blocked the Lions' success by handing them nine of those losses, with five coming in section title games.

The Lions will have their hands full against Clippers quarterback Carter Copet, who already owns the state's all-time leading passing touchdowns record with his senior year ahead of him. He has thrown for 131 career touchdowns, including 54 in his junior season, blowing past the previous record of 101 by Chris Meidt of Minneota (1984-1987).