We are still about a month away from the high school sports season, but it’s not too early to start looking forward.

I’ve never been one to make predictions, but sometimes it’s fun to take a chance at looking into the future. If any of these prognostications end up being way off, feel free to save a copy of the paper and call me out when fall ends.

That being said, here are my predictions for the fall sports season.

A co-op contender

LeRoy-Ostrander and Lyle-Pacelli are combining football programs this season and while L-P will not provide a lot of players, they will supply some quality athletes who have been successful.

The program is already brimming with excitement and head coach Trevor Carrier has led the team to one state title. 

Section 1 nine man is always loaded with tough competition, but I expect L-O/L-P to be in the mix for the section crown and possibly a run to state. Kingsland, which was an inch away from a state football title last season, will likely be their biggest hurdle.

Perseverance on the court

With Austin grad Nichelle Guillaume taking over, the Austin volleyball program is now on its fourth head coach in six years, but I wouldn’t count out the Packers this fall.

Austin is coming off its best season since Guillaume was on the team in the fall of 2008 and the team has had a steady turnout in offseason workouts.

The Packers have found a way to keep up a steady rate of improvement over the last few seasons, despite seeing a turnover in coaching.

If that trend continues, the Packers will be fun to watch this fall.

Blooming bounce back

Ever since I arrived at the Austin Daily Herald in the fall of 2007, the Awesome Blossoms have fielded one of the top football teams in the area.

BP has always found a way to put out a winning record and it is usually in the hunt for a section crown.

BP went 5-4 overall last season, but it suffered a rare first round loss when it lost to rival Goodhue 42-0.

I don’t expect the Blossoms to stay “down” for long as BP has most of its roster back with a whole lot of motivation from that playoff loss.

Return to tradition

My final prediction is based on the belief that things even out eventually.

The Austin boys soccer team suffered a rare first round loss in the Section 1A tournament last season after having played in the state tournament in 2023.

There have been a lot of great soccer players who have played for Austin in recent years and head coach Jens Levisen is as good as they come. I think we’ll see the Packers as a contender in Section 1A when it’s all said and done.