Monday, Aug. 8, marked the first day of practice for high school fall sports. Most local teams took to their respective fields and courts a week in advance of the first day of school, with other teams to get into their seasons once classes begin Aug. 15.

While some teams had workout and conditioning sessions over the summer, this week was the first time under California Interscholastic Federation rules that players could practice with their equipment.

Teams that hope to repeat last year’s success include Millennium High’s boys soccer team, which won the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VII title last year. Coach Daniel Espinoza is back with many of the same players from the 2010 squad.

Millennium’s football team also made playoffs last year.

One new coach for the Falcons is Matt Young, who will lead the Millennium golf team.

West High had one Tri-City Athletic League championship team last year. Joe and Nate Perry will coach the boys soccer team again after they won the TCAL title and made the second round of playoffs. They start practice next week with tryouts on the school’s traditional soccer field on the east side of campus, where the Wolf Pack will have all of its home games.

West also returns a girls tennis team that made the semifinals of the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs after taking second place in the TCAL.

New coaches for West include Scott Behnam, sophomore football, and Alex Sausau, freshman football.

Tracy High’s girls tennis team claimed the San Joaquin Athletic Association title last year, coming in ahead of past league champion Lodi. New coaches for Tracy High include sophomore and freshman volleyball coaches Rosa Rodriguez and Alena Chappell.

Kimball High returns nearly all of its coaches from last year, and this is the first year that Kimball has seniors, meaning that nearly all of last year’s varsity players are back, with the addition of many juniors and talented sophomores and freshmen.

New coaches include Brian Ballard, freshman-sophomore soccer, and Suzette Mendonca, sophomore volleyball, with the Jaguars still in search of a freshman volleyball coach.

Delta Charter High also starts another season of CIF sports, with Athletic Director Julia Ulrich coaching the volleyball team and Avo Atoian coaching the boys soccer team.

CIF rules will allow scrimmages to begin Aug. 20, a week from Saturday, and games begin Aug. 26. That’s when the West High football team starts its season with a Friday-night home game against Lincoln High of Stockton, and Millennium High has its first home football game the next night. Those are considered “zero week” games, and Tracy and Kimball football teams begin their seasons with road games Sept. 2.