MONROE — After a Saturday afternoon padless practice, Scott Darrow called his team to the center of the field.

“Hats off, take a knee,” Darrow said, prompting the players to sink to the ground almost in unison.

The Monroe football team played in a preseason jamboree the previous night, meaning the Bearcats were officially less than a week away from their first game of the season: a non-conference matchup with Bishop Blanchet at home on Friday.

Darrow had been waiting months for this.

“Us coaches, we all kind of crave this,” Darrow said to his players kneeling in front of him. “We crave game week.”

After last year, why wouldn’t they? The Bearcats finished atop Wesco South 3A for the fourth consecutive season, posting a 7-0 division record (9-2 overall). The key contributors looking to

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