If the cooler temperatures during the past week were not a sign the fall season is approaching, the sight of area schools beginning practice for their upcoming sports season is another indicator that summer is coming to an end.

Although some squads have been having “captains” practices, the official practices for most sports begin on Aug. 15.

Football practice for kids in grades 9-12 at Blue Earth Area will begin on Aug. 15 with practices for players in grades 7-8 slated to start on Aug. 22.

The Bucs’ football team will once again be coached by Randy Kuechenmeister, who begins his 37th year at the helm of the BEA program.

The BEA cross country teams will have a new head coach this year. Peter Koenig took over the program after Tom Plocker retired from coaching. The boys’ and girls’ squads will hit the ground running on Aug. 15.

The girls’ tennis team will have a new coach this year. Spencer Monson takes over following the retirement of Konny Wolff. Practice begins on Aug. 15 for girls in grades 7-12.

BEA’s volleyball team begins practice for girls in grades 9-12 on Aug. 15. Girls in grades seven and eight will not begin practices until later in the month. Donna Nawrocki returns as the coach of the Bucs.

Teams are also returning to action on the east side of the county where athletes from United South Central will also begin their official practices for football, cross country, girls’s tennis and volleyball on Aug. 15.

T.J. Schmidtke takes over as the USC football coach for the 2022 season. Schmidtke has previously been the head coach at Martin County West. Junior High practice will begin Aug. 22.

USC’s cross country squads will be under the direction of Burnett Walton.

Andre Rueda returns for his third year as the head coach of the USC girls’ tennis team.

The USC volleyball team returns to the court in 2022 under the tutelage of Joe Kuechenmeister.

The tennis squads from each school will be the first teams to play any official contests.

BEA’s tennis team takes part in the Pine City Invitational on Aug. 22. Both BEA and USC will take part in a quadrangular hosted by Glencoe-Silver Lake on Tuesday, Aug. 23.

Look for previews on all of the fall sports teams in the Sept. 5 issue of the Faribault County Register.