The first impressions of the Indianola High School football team’s schedule is, the Indians will be tested. The Indians will face off against Muscatine and Norwalk, then face three perennial top-10 contenders year in and year out in Ankeny, West Des Moines Valley, and Cedar Rapids Kennedy back-to-back-to-back. Head coach Eric Kluver said the tough stretch will test his team, but his early opinion is that it will allow the Indians to face the kind of teams they want to play in the postseason.

“I think it will definitely have us battle tested for the end of the year. The concerns are always staying healthy, keeping our depth. And if we can get through that stretch of games healthy and confident with how we are playing, I think we can finish strong. It’s a tough stretch in the middle, but I do think it will have us ready to go by the end of the season and hopefully we will have put ourselves in a position to be a playoff team again.”

The Indians went 6-4 last season, falling in the first round of the playoffs to WDM Valley.