The first official week of the heat acclimatization period for football, certainly lived up to that billing with last week’s heat wave.

With week two on the agenda, a much more milder weather pattern is on the horizon for team’s gearing up for the season opening weekend slated for August 26.

At Freedom, Jason Roeder’s team returns as district champions and open the season in the state’s marquee matchup against Emmaus next Friday night at BASD Stadium.

It’s a rematch of last year’s district final and one that has kept the Pates on notice throughout the summer.

“We talk to our kids about needing to have a sense of urgency throughout the summer and at camp,” said Roeder. “Our goal is to be ready by this weekend for game action and we’ll be there. Having such a big game in week one has certainly raised our level and makes us try to stay ahead of schedule with our install.”

Freedom hosts CB East at 9:30 a.m. Saturday in a scrimmage this weekend, which will be their only tune up before their opener, just like every team.

Liberty is kicking into year two under head coach Shawn Daignault and the Hurricanes are on better footing this summer than they were when Daignault initially took over.

“It’s a lot different because everyone knows what to expect,” Daignault said of the biggest difference with camp this year. “We had a great offseason. I think we closed the weight room gap we had with the other teams in the league and we’re a lot bigger and stronger. I’m confident in that. Now we just need them to prepare better for Friday nights compared to last season and I think you’ll see that.”

Liberty scrimmages Delaware Valley in the second game at BASD Stadium at 1 p.m. with an opportunity to test their strength up front against a program that is known for being physical up front.

Bethlehem Catholic head coach Kyle Haas also feels better about where his team stands coming into his second camp following a difficult 2-7 campaign last season. The Hawks get an opportunity to test things out on Saturday when they travel to Wilmington to take on Delaware Military Academy.

“It’s not really fair to compare last year to this year,” said Haas. “Our kids are much further ahead of where we were last season because it’s not new anymore. They are getting more comfortable with schemes, the coaches and expectations. The year in the weight room really helped develop some chemistry. The leadership from the senior class has been fantastic.”