Inverness American football teams Highland Stags and Wildcats set to kick off 2024 seasons
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Highland Stags begin their campaign for a third successive national title this weekend.
After entering the British American Football Association (BAFA) leagues as a full member in 2022, the Stags lifted the North Division Two title in their debut campaign, earning promotion to the North Division One for 2023.
There, their success continued, as the Highlanders topped the table to earn their place in the post-season play-offs once again.
This time around, though, their play-off run ended before they could earn another promotion, meaning the Stags will be going up against familiar opposition for 2024.
The league is down two sides, though, with Dunfermline Kings folding and Aberdeen Roughnecks pulling out of the division in March leaving four teams competing for the crown.
The Stags will kick off their campaign in Wishaw this Sunday against the Clyde Valley Blackhawks, with hopes high that it will be the start of another successful season.
"I would like to win the division,” Stags general manager Tom Hutchison said.
“I think that's what we're expecting form ourselves.
"From a coaching perspective, I have to give targets to the staff and that will be to make sure we get to the play-offs, but I would anticipate that we'll at least be fighting for the top spot this year.
"I'm quite optimistic that we'll get there."
Also beginning their 2024 campaign are junior American football outfit the Highland Wildcats.
Their under-16s squad play their first tournament of the year at Paisley Bears as the Wildcats go in search of an 11th Scottish title.
Such has been their success, including back-to-back titles over the last two years, that head coach Ben Senior believes other teams will be targeting the Wildcats this summer.
"It's more of a target on our backs than a bar that we set for ourselves at this point,” Senior said.
"We set the bar for people that they turn up and work as hard as they possibly can to do the best they can for everyone around them. Success then comes with the culture we install.
"We look like we're ready to put a strong challenge together. You never know what your opposition are doing, so it would be foolish to make a prediction on how we're going to do.
“However, I think we're in a strong position to compete for an 11th Scottish Championship, and certainly in a strong position to make another play-off run.”
