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TONOPAH -- Defending Nevada Class A football champion Tonopah began practice Thursday, with three goals in mind.

* Repeat as Southern League champion;

* Qualify for the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season, and

* Earn a second straight title. And the irony of all this is, the Muckers will open the season Aug. 28 at Carlin's Railroaders, the team Tonopah defeated 54-20 in the championship game at Reno last November.

Coach Curt McElroy has directed the Muckers to 33 wins in 44 games in his first four seasons, including 18 consecutive league victories without defeat.

The Muckers are 6-3 in the playoffs, including a 3-0 run last fall, when they defeated Las Vegas Mountain View Christian, Coleville (Calif.) and Carlin. The 2006 Muckers made it to the finals, where they lost to Pahranagat Valley Alamo.

Another irony: realignment puts Tonopah and Alamo in the sole Southern Division; the Muckers and Panthers collide at Alamo Oct. 24.

Also in the league are Round Mountain's Knights, Beatty's Hornets, Indian Springs' Thunderbirds, Spring Mountain's Eagles, Sandy Valley's Diamondbacks and Laughlin's Cougars. In the previous four seasons, Alamo was in the South Division, Tonopah in the now-defunct Central.

Beatty, with Brian Hayes debuting as its coach, started practice Thursday with less than 20 players expected to be in camp.

Round Mountain has only six games listed on the Web site, maxpreps.com. The Knights open Aug. 29 at home against Mineral County Hawthorne. Round Mountain is at home Sept. 26 vs. Sandy Valley and Oct. 10 against Spring Mountain.

According to a comprehensive schedule released by the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association, Lund and Henderson International School will have football teams this season.

Tonopah's schedule:

* Aug. 28, at Carlin;

* Sept. 5, at Diamond Ranch, Hurricane, Utah;

* Sept. 19, Round Mountain (home);

* Sept. 27, at Spring Mountain;

* Oct. 3, Indian Springs (home);

* Oct. 10, Laughlin (home);

* Oct. 17, at Sandy Valley;

* Oct. 24, at Alamo;

* Oct. 30, Beatty (home).

The 1-A football playoffs are Nov. 7-8, 14-15 and 22 (the title game will be played at Arbor View High School in Las Vegas.

Alamo's complete schedule is not available on any Web site at the moment. The only games listed for the Ken Higbee-coached Panthers are Sept. 13 at Fredonia (Ariz.), Sept. 19 at Indian Springs, Oct. 10 at home against Sandy Valley, Oct. 17 at Spring Mountain and Oct. 24 at home against Tonopah.

As usual, Spring Mountain will be a wild card team, since there is never any certainty on who will be on the Eagles' roster any given season.

Spring Mountain, coached by Aaron Masden, will play Lund, Beaver Dam (Ariz.) and Laughlin before the Eagles face Tonopah.

Sandy Valley (formerly Keystone Academy) will open its season Aug. 29 at Henderson International. That same night, Spring Mountain goes to Lund.

Indian Springs opens Sept. 5 against independent Las Vegas Agassi Prep.