LEXINGTON – It’s the sound that many in Dawson County have been waiting to hear. The blow of the whistle, the pop of shoulder pads, the screams of the quarterback practicing an audible.
That’s right. It’s now football season.
The 2010 fall season is in full swing with the beginning of two-a-day practices and conditioning early Monday morning.
Head coach Phil Truax and his Minutemen strapped on their helmets at 7 a.m. and began their first of 18 practices leading up to their Aug. 27 season opener against rival Gering.
Even though they just finished their first practice at 10 a.m., the temperature was already shooting over 80 degrees. The Minutemen will practice again at 7 p.m. for their second practice, with temperatures close to 90 degrees.
After their first full practice of the season, Truax still believes  things are looking positive for his team.
“It looked good,” Truax said. “We gave the kids lots of water and gave them plenty of breaks to prevent injury, but practice looked good.”
Numbers for the Minutemen this year seem to be close to last year, with approximately 40 players out this season. Although, Truax mentioned one significant increase for the future.
“Earlier in the summer, we checked pads out to 34 freshmen,” Truax said. “It’s good to see numbers increase for the freshmen.”
Truax was unable to comment on the strong point for the Minutemen this season, saying that it was “too early to tell.”
Getting more comfortable with their roles were new starting quarterback Tyler McKeone and running back Patrick Berke, who will be a strong 1-2 punch for the Minutemen offense this season.
Lexington travels Aug. 27 to take on the Bulldogs, who have won four straight over the Minutemen, including a 23-7 victory in the opening round of the state playoffs last season.
Lexington has made two consecutive trips to the state playoffs and look to make it three in a row for the first time since the 1995-1997 seasons,
If history repeats itself, the Minutemen should be in prime position to go deep into the state playoffs.
The last three year run ended with an appearance in the Class B state championship game in 1997.
Truax also comes in with two straight winning seasons, as he attempts to claim Lexington’s first state championship in almost 40 years.
After traveling to Gering, the Minutemen’s first home game of the season will not be until Sept. 10, when they host Scottsbluff.
The Minutemen football schedule, along with schedules for the five other Lexington athletic teams for the fall season will be in the 2010 Fall Sports Preview.

• Lexington Minutemen

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