With football teams around the state opening official practices for the 2025 season Monday, here are five storylines to watch in the NewsTribune/BCR area this fall.

Five new coaches take over

Five of the seven 11-man football teams in the NewsTribune/BCR area have new coaches this fall with JJ Raffelson taking over at La Salle-Peru , Jack Brady at St. Bede , Nick Sterling at Hall-Putnam County , Jim Eustice at Mendota and Pat Elder at Bureau Valley .

Raffelson, Brady and Sterling are all former assistants stepping into the head role, while Eustice and Elder are veteran head coaches.

Raffelson, an assistant for two years at L-P who played college football at Western Illinois, inherits a program that went 4-5 in 2023 and 3-6 last fall following three straight playoff appearance

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