High school football is here.

While other kids are working on their tans while enjoying their two-and-a-half month summer vacation, football players are enduring a couple practices a day under the blazing sun.

Wednesday marked the opening day of practice for all high school programs around Washington, including Federal Way, Decatur, Todd Beamer and Thomas Jefferson high schools.

But that’s just how the football schedule works. Training camp starts smack-dab in the middle of summer and the season ends in cold, and usually rainy, fashion during the Pacific Northwest autumn.

A Federal Way school district team has never won a state football championship — despite producing some of the best individual players in Washington year in and year out. The closest any team came was back in 1976, when Federal Way High School lost in the state title game to the Snohomish Panthers.

But, just like in years past, optimism is reigning supreme around Federal Way.

The biggest difference this season will come over at Decatur. After decades playing in the South Puget Sound League’s highest enrollment bracket, the Gators will play 2010 as a Class 3A school.

Decatur’s enrollment number of 1,018 students in grades 10 through 12 actually classified them as a 2A school, but the school’s administrators opted up into 3A.

“We’re small,” Decatur athletic director Kelly Kirk said. “We are going to be the smallest school in the 3A league next year.”

The SPSL 3A Division will also include Auburn Mountainview, Enumclaw, White River (Buckley), Bonney Lake, Peninsula (Purdy) and Lakes (Lakewood) high schools. The Gators will open the 2010 football season against perennial 3A power Kennedy at Highline Stadium in a non-league contest on Sept. 2.

Head coach Leon Hatch is entering his third year at the helm of the Gator program. Prior to coming to Decatur, Hatch coached Mount Tahoma for five seasons.

The Gators finished 3-7 last season and return plenty of talent.

The three other Federal Way district high school will remain in their respective Class 4A divisions of the SPSL. However, Federal Way will move from the North to the South Division of the SPSL. Jefferson will remain in the SPSL North Division, while Beamer will stay in the SPSL South.

Federal Way lost a lot of talent from last year’s 8-3 playoff team, but do bring back their ultra-talented signal caller in senior Nick Tanielu.

Last season, Tanielu finished second in the SPSL North in passing yards with 1,130 during the regular season. The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder completed 51 percent of his passes and finished with six touchdowns.

Tanielu also ran the ball for 225 yards and five touchdowns and also started as a defensive back for the Eagles’ defense. He was named the first-team, All-SPSL North quarterback by the league’s coaches.

The Eagles open at home against Graham-Kapowsin on Sept. 3.

Jefferson and Beamer are hoping to build on last year’s seasons. The Raiders finished 1-9 in the North and Beamer put together an impressive 4-6 record under first-year coach David Sundheim. A win over Auburn Riverside in the third week of the 2009 season snapped a 20-game losing streak.

The Titans will be counting on the play-making abilities of T.J. Esekielu and Nicky Fualaau to take them to the next level. Esekielu will take over at quarterback and Faulaau was a two-way, All-SPSL South selection a season ago at running back and linebacker. Beamer opens at home against Emerald Ridge on Sept. 4.

The Raiders and head coach Dean Peck will be led again by junior quarterback K.W. Williams. The Raiders open their season at home against Tahoma on Sept. 2.