The sounds of shoulder pads crashing together, guys pumping iron in the weight room, two-a-day practices and the smell of sweat and Red Hot in the air... that can only signal one thing... the start of the 2012 high school football season.

And the Moses Lake Chiefs have only one goal in mind; to be among the best in the newly realigned Columbia Basin Big Nine Conference (CBBN).

"We want to be the first league champs," coach Todd Griffith said of his team. "I think that we are in very good position to make some noise for the title with a big senior group that has had a great spring and great summer of practice."

The road to the league championship may have gotten a bit easier this season as Richland, Chiawana, Walla Walla and Pasco dropped out of the CBBN this spring to form a new league with 3A Hanford, Kamiakin, Kennewick and Southridge high schools. An effort was made to keep the CBBN intact while adding the four 3A schools and form North and South divisions, but the school districts could not agree on the same set of bi-laws.

The teams remaining in the CBBN are Moses Lake, Wenatchee, Eisenhower and Davis. Eastmont from East Wenatchee and Sunnyside, both 3A schools, will move up a classification to round out the league.

The realignment and addition of the Wildcats and the Grizzlies means teams will now have a home and an away game against each other as opposed to only playing teams once in the old league.

"I like the change," Griffith said when the news broke last spring. "Playing each other twice will make the league more competitive. We are used to playing the teams only once, and now we get a second look at all of them, so it should be a pretty good chess match between coaches as we prepare for a second encounter."

Moses Lake does have its work cut out as it's been six years since the Chiefs have been involved in post season play. Moses Lake made it to the state playoffs in 2006, but lost to Gonzaga Prep in the quarterfinals. The Chiefs were 2-8 in league play last year and finished in seventh place. Their record didn't necessarily reflect how competitive the team was as injuries to key players throughout the season had a definite impact on the final standings. But they did end the season on a positive note beating Eastmont at Lions Field 34-24 Nov. 3.

"It's going to be a tough road (to the post season) with our new schedule having to play everyone twice,' Griffith said. "We only have one opportunity ... If you win league, you are automatically in the state playoffs."

The Chiefs lost 11 players to graduation, but do have two-thirds of their starting backfield intact to lead the charge for Moses Lake this season.

"We have seniors QB Justin Simmons and TB Cameron Law back," Griffith said. "That's the first we have had two returning seniors in the backfield since I have been here. Defensively, we are returning only five starters, but the new players have played very strong so far."

Simmons, who sat out a few of the Chiefs games because of a concussion, accounted for 1,468 yards of total offense and 14 TDs. Law finished the season with 1,214 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. There isn't any one particular player he will lean on this year, Griffith said, but rather will rely on the team's strength this season.

"We are going to lean on our seniors," he said. "We have a bigger group than we have had the last two years and they have more experience than anyone in the league. Seven of our guys have been playing on the team since they were sophomores."

Griffith said he expects the Wenatchee Panthers to be the stiffest competition in the league this year.

"They have a lot of speed," he said. "And a lineman who is 6'8" and hasa ready committed to Washington State University."

Team captains this year are Hector Zavala, Jonathan Perales, Cameron Law, Trino Rubio, Justin Simmons and Brenden Cox. Moses Lake opened the 2012 season with a 21-18 nonleague road loss at Walla Walla Aug. 31. The Chiefs first league game is against the Cadets on the road at Eisenhower Sept. 7. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.