1. Conference realignment: The South Suburban Conference has reorganized to add Farmington and Shakopee and see Bloomington Kennedy and Bloomington Jefferson join the new Metro West Conference. Farmington and Shakopee moved into the Bloomington schools’ spots after leaving the now dissolved Missota conference. Worth noting is that both new teams had their seasons ended last year in the section quarterfinals by South Suburban teams, Rosemount and Prior Lake. More change comes with district-based scheduling next year. Shakopee and Prior Lake will move to the West Metro District while the rest of the conference will go to the East Metro.

2. Lots o’ linebackers: Just a glance at the players-to-watch list shows the South Suburban has probably the strongest linebacking corps in the state. Lakeville South’s Josh Corcoran has already committed to Northern Illinois while Lakeville North’s Jesse Cardenas and Tristyn Hanson are being recruited by Division I programs. Prior Lake’s Alex Hart has offers from schools including Wyoming, Cornell, New Mexico and North Dakota State. All of these players are well over 6 feet and 200 pounds.

MEGAN RYAN