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NAPLES — Call tonight’s slate of high school football games what you want — kickoff classics, preseason games, exhibitions — just don’t call them meaningless.

These games won’t count in the record books or district standings, but area coaches say the regular season begins tonight. To them, the preseason provides a dress rehearsal for next week’s opening act.

“You have your biggest improvement from your first game to your second,” Golden Gate coach Dave Tanner said. “If you treat the preseason like a real game, you’ll have your biggest improvement between that and your season opener.”

Nowhere is tonight more important, perhaps, than at St. John Neumann. The Celtics will take on Tanner’s Titans at Golden Gate, marking the first time Neumann has faced a Collier County team since reinstating football eight years ago.

Under coach and athletic director Steve Howey, the Celtics have slowly become an annual contender in District 1A-6. Neumann has set a school record for wins in a season each of the past two years. The Celtics went 8-1 last year and made the state playoffs for the second straight season.

The Celtics have excelled playing other small schools. Neumann, with an enrollment of less than 200 students, dominated Bishop Verot, Evangelical Christian and Moore Haven last season, winning the three games by an average of 37 points.

The Celtics will now try their hand against the big boys with tonight’s game against Golden Gate, a Class 3A school seven times the size of Neumann, which will also play at Lely on Oct. 3.

“It’s more important than a normal preseason game,” Howey said. “It’s another step toward trying to build this program into one that’s recognized as successful. I’m trying to put us on the map.”

The rest of tonight’s preseason matchups might not carry as much historical significance as Neumann’s, but coaches say their games are just as important.

The preseason allows teams to see how they compare to schools they probably wouldn’t otherwise see. Three Miami-area teams come to Collier County tonight, while one area team travels to Tampa to play.

Palmetto Ridge plays host to Gulliver Prep from Coral Gables after taking the two-hour trip across Alligator Alley to play the Raiders last year.

Bears coach Tim Speakman said he picked the Raiders as a preseason opponent because he thought they would be a good measuring stick. Gulliver Prep went 8-2 and made the Class 2A playoffs last season.

“(The Raiders) have a history of very good football teams,” Speakman said. “My philosophy is always to play a good team with a lot of athletes so I can judge where my team is at athletically.”

Gulf Coast hosts Miami Ferguson tonight, while Hialeah plays at Naples. Lely travels north to Tampa Catholic. All games start at 7:30 p.m.

Other schools will play more familiar foes. South Fort Myers plays at Barron Collier, where Wolfpack coach Grant Redhead will face his former boss in Cougars coach Mark Ivey. Redhead was offensive coordinator at Cypress Lake in 2004 when Ivey was the head coach.

When South opened the following year, Redhead took over the team and twice faced Ivey in District 3A-13 battles. Once Ivey moved to Barron in 2007, Redhead’s Wolfpack played the Cougars last preseason.

“I can’t get away from this guy,” Redhead said about his friend Ivey.

South’s fourth-year coach enjoys playing against his former boss, but tonight won’t be all fun. It’s important to take the preseason seriously, he said, to fully prepare for the regular season.

“Everyone wants to win,” Redhead said. “I’d beat my grandma in cards if I could; I don’t let my little girl win at tic-tac-toe. Coaches are always competing.”

* * *

Tonight's games

South Fort Myers at Barron Collier

Lely at Tampa Catholic

St. John Neumann at Golden Gate

Miami Ferguson at Gulf Coast

Estero at East Lee County

Gulliver Prep at Palmetto Ridge

LaBelle at Immokalee

Hialeah at Naples

Note: All games at 7:30 p.m.