The official start of the high school football season is still a week away but 18 of the state’s eight-man teams have season openers tonight. One of those involves Aurelia which visits Granville Spalding. Aurelia coach Myron Radke says after off-season workouts and pre-season drills his team is ready for a game. He says the players have paid the price in the weight room and camps and are ready to get after it.Radke says while the eight-man version at first was viewed with skepticism, it is gaining in popularity. He says it’s a wild wide-open game that’s tough to stop defensively.Radke has a veteran team back from last year’s unit which finished 6-2. He says he doesn’t want to get his hopes too high, but he’s impressed with his seniors.Murray made the playoffs last year and opens tonight at Twin Cedars. Murray coach Keith Shields expects the number of eight-man programs to continue to grow. Shields says when making the change they tried not to focus on the changes. He says they had to convince the kids that it still involves blocking and tackling. Shields says it is a new team this year after losing 11-seniors.