The St. Ambrose football team has high hopes for this season. The Fighting Bees want to improve after two straight 4-6 seasons. And they hope their promising, 50-man recruiting class will help them win their conference for the first time.
Head Coach Mike Magistrelli says the team only has a few adjustments to make to contend for a championship.
"Watching film sometimes, you see how close we are, and one little adjustment, do this, don't do that. We have talked, and that's the different between 4-6 and 8-2, so we feel like we are very close. We feel like we have a very talented group this year. I know our expectations are very high."
The Bees will have plenty of opportunities to prove themselves on a national stage, as half of their schedule will be against ranked teams.
"Five, I think it is, nationally ranked opponents, so obviously you look at that as a whole, it can be intimidating. But that's why you sign up to play at St. Ambrose. You're gonna play against some of the best teams in the nation. And obviously you'll get the chance to measure yourself. It's daunting when you look at it front to back, but Dakota State is that first ranked team, and we'll go from there."
The Fighting Bees play in the Mid-States Football Association. St. Ambrose opens their season on the road September 1st at Dakota State University.