With August upon us, it must mean the prep football season is closing in as well. It’s hard to believe, but soon the pigskins will be flying, the shoulder pads will be popping and the helmets will be smacking against each other.

Of course, it doesn’t all magically begin when teams report for preseason practice Aug. 13. Hopefully, most players have spent the summer getting in shape, doing some weight lifting and taking part in summer contact sessions, whether it be workouts or perhaps 7-on-7 camps.

Schedules are out and that means plenty of speculating can begin. And even without seeing a single snap from center, there are plenty around the River Bend who have opinions on which teams will be the ones to beat and which will be also-rans. With that speculating comes predicting.

So let’s hear it from the fans. Which teams will be toughest? Weakest? Which have the hardest schedules? Which have the weakest schedules? And most important, which teams will be left standing at season’s end with the best chances to bring home some state championship hardware?

Let us know what you think! We’ll print the best of the fans’ opnions.

Our old pal Jim Emonds may not have been in the All-Star Game this time around, but the former Cardinal centerfielder was seeing stars during the break - as well as Cupid’s arrow, evidently.

While eight of his teammates from the Cubbies were in New York for the All-Star Game Tuesday, Edmonds, 38, was in Clayton getting married. He and longtime girlfriend Allison Raski, 28, exchanged vows at the St. Louis County Courthouse. The two were dressed quite casually, including jeans, T-shirts and sneakers. After the brief ceremony, they adjourned to Edmonds’ downtown St. Louis restaurant, F15teen.

Edmonds played with the Cardinals from 2000 through 2007, played in two World Series and was a three-time All-Star. He also made thye All-Star team once as a California Angel. He was traded to the Padres in December last year, was released by the Padres on May 9 and signed by the Cubs on May 15.

Raski is a graduate of Ziegler-Royalton High School in Southern Illinois. She and Edmonds have a young son, Landon. Finding a bride from the Land of Lincoln is nothing new for Cardinal favorites - former slugger Mark McGwire wed Edwardsville native Stephanie Slemer in 2002.

There’s no word on honeymoon plans for the new Mr. and Mrs. Edmonds or whether or not they are registered at WalMart.

As we celebrate America’s independence, it is I think, a good idea for River Bend sports fans to take a few minutes to ponder…
ITEM: With the Major League Baseball season in full swing and nearing the All-Star break, the Cardinals are in the thick of the NL Central race, despite considerable number of problems…
Cubs fans - and I admit there are quite a few in our area - have a lot the cheer about.
ITEM: St. Louis fans showed a lot of class Friday when they gave Jim Edmonds a standing ovation. They appreciate the way Jimmy E. played when he was a Cardinal and they never really got a chance to thank him before he was shipped off to San Diego. Now that he’s a Cub, they’ll have plenty of opportunities later to show disdain, but for the moment, it was nice to show they can be grownups. Those who, for some reason, hold a grudge against Edmonds and say he should be treated no better than any other opposing player are missing a chance to demonstrate some maturity.
ITEM: The Telegraph’s annual Spring All-Area section was recently published and we showcased the high school players we felt were the best at their sport. It’s a tough decision and we try to get input from as many avenues as possible. One problem when choosing any all-star team is that some very good players will not be selected. There are only a certain number of spots available.
COMMENT: Isn’t it great we live in a nation where we have enough freedoms and enough time to actually care about any of this? Just think about the people unfortunate enough to live in countries in which just worrying if you or your family will live to see tomorrow trumps whether or not your team wins a game.
Just take a few minutes.