5 Things To Know - Fall Sports Opening Weekend

After a busy summer, it is now finally time to roll into the fall sports season. Volleyball, football and cross country kick off this weekend, starting on Thursday. Here are five things to look out for on opening weekend.

1. The who and when
Volleyball will get kicked off in a big way, as West Holt and Clearwater-Orchard make their way to Tilden to take on Elkhorn Valley in an opening-night triangular. Elkhorn Valley's boys will be busy as well, traveling on Thursday to Winside. Neligh-Oakdale and Elgin Public/Pope John will be in action on the gridiron on Friday, traveling to Creighton and Burwell, respectively.

2. How's the weather?
Obviously, the volleyballers should be able to deal with any weather outside, but the football guys may have to keep an eye on the sky. Winside's forecast calls for storms throughout the day on Thursday, but they should be gone by the time kickoff rolls around at 7 p.m. The Wolfpack should be able to stay dry as they travel to Burwell, with temperatures expected to be in the lower 80s at kickoff. Neligh-Oakdale's trip to Creighton looks to be much the same, with just a slight chance of showers at kickoff.

3. Cyclones, Falcons in for tough first test
The triangular in Tilden on Thursday will be quite the challenge for all involved. Elkhorn Valley, Clearwater-Orchard and West Holt were all very tough teams last season, and likely will be tough beats again this year. If any team is able to come out of opening night unscathed, they could get a huge jumpstart on a big season.

4. Wolfpack and Falcons setting up for wins
On the football field, both Elgin Public/Pope John and Elkhorn Valley battled through various issues as they went winless in 2016, a feat both would just as soon forget. With any luck, they could both break their losing streaks early in 2017, possibly even in week one. Elkhorn Valley should have a strong chance to get a W, taking on a Winside team who's only win came in Tilden on opening weekend last year. The Wolfpack may be in for a bigger challenge, taking on the defending state champions, Burwell, to start the year. However, an upset is always possible in week one, so you never know.

5. The mystery that is Neligh-Oakdale
2016 was an incredible year for the Warriors. However, the big question in the offseason involved how the Warriors would rebuild in 2017 after losing a record-setting group of seniors. The talent is still there, just slightly younger and less experienced. They will be tested right away when they take on Creighton, a team many see as a top contender for the D1 state championship. Coach Ron Beacom is as good as any at having his team ready to go, and he'll have to exploit every flaw he can find in Creighton to pull off the week one win and continue the winning streak.

Where we'll be
This week, you can find the ACN crew at:
Elkhorn Valley at Winside
Elkhorn Valley vs West Holt, Clearwater-Orchard
Neligh-Oakdale at Creighton