Grand Island and Starpoint football no longer play in the same division, but a week-one matchup has given this Class A rivalry a serious jumpstart. The Vikings and Spartans waited until week five to play last year; GI sprinted ahead early and won 33-7, handing Starpoint its first league loss in three years.

“We've been thinking about this game ever since the offseason,” says Starpoint quarterback Aaron Chase. “Ever since we got the schedule, we've been thinking about Grand Island.”

“The schedule came out in the spring and it's been circled since then,” says Max Bowden, Chase’s top receiver. “Everybody knows it's going to be intense right from there, and we want the intensity to keep going throughout the entire year. I don't want it to slow down from there.”

 

 

Their counterparts at Grand Island were also thrilled to hear that their first game would be among their most important of the season.

“It’s been the talk of the summer,” says Vikings quarterback Cam Sionko. “I think our guys worked as hard as we did because of week one against Starpoint. I think it's going to mold our season.”

“It's a new year, new teams, new kids, but we're excited to play them,” says Grand Island head coach Dean Santorio. “Regardless of the fact that they're not in our division anymore. They're still an A-school that we're playing non-league, and we could see them in the playoffs, so we're excited for it.”

Spectrum News’ live coverage of Grand Island and Starpoint begins at 7 p.m. Friday.