High school football teams opened up two-a-day practices Monday with an eye ahead on the upcoming season openers.

While this time is important for teams around the state, the upcoming three weeks are especially vital for programs like Grand Island Senior High.

The Islanders are coming off an impressive 9-2 season, but a talented senior class full of multi-year starters has moved on.

That means there is plenty of work to be done at Memorial Stadium.

"It's very important because we need guys to immerge right now," Islander head coach Jeff Tomlin said of the next three weeks of practices. "If you've got your eyes on a spot - heck, there's only one returning starter and he's not guaranteed a spot - all 22 spots and special team spots are open. Go get them.

"We have much less returning experience, so there's a greater urgency for some of these guys fighting for jobs."

Despite open battles for every starting position, Tomlin said practices won't necessarily look different from the years in which the Islanders returned more experience.