The Foothills Composite Falcons kick off their football season Friday, as they host the St. Francis Browns out of Calgary.

The Browns are one of the top Tier I teams in the province, and Falcons Head Coach Darren Olson says it'll be a tough test right out of the gate.

Olson says he thinks his team is up to the task.

"This year we've got a lot of returning seniors, and we've got some real strong guys in skilled positions," he says. "We feel good about where we're at right now and we feel confident we've got a strong team going forward this year."

Olson says he's counting on his veteran players to help the rookies adjust quickly.

"They've done an excellent job setting the pace and setting the tempo at practice, and not telling these guys, but showing them what the expectations are on the field, and what we expect from them as far as being competitive and challenging each other," he says.

Olson says the game against St. Francis isn't as much about the result on the scoreboard, but more so the effort on the field.

"A win is always good," he says. "But, we want to see that these guys are ready, and that we've got the right guys in the right places, and that they're ready to compete and confident in what they're doing out there."

Game time is 4:30 p.m. Friday at Foothills Composite.