The quest to repeat as conference champions officially begins Monday night for both the ADM girls and boys soccer teams, who open the regular season against Carroll. The girls will open at home while the boys will start the season on the road, with both games beginning at 7 p.m.

The girls squad played to a 0-0 draw in a scrimmage against North Polk on Thursday, while the boys fell 2-0 to defending state champion Norwalk in exhibition play Tuesday.

While the girls are most concerned about breaking in a new goalkeeper and an inexperienced back line, the boys squad will have to play without one of its key players for at least the first month of the season.

Tigers senior Johnny Reel is recovering from a herniated disc in his back he suffered toward the end of the basketball season. Doctors told him he has a high pain threshold: Reel played through considerable pain to score 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting on senior night, February 6 against Boone, after having missed the previous game due to the initial back pain.

Reel said he didn’t at first realize it was a herniated disc, so he went to physical therapy with a chiropractor, which may have made things worse. The only prescribed recovery method for Reel is rest, for at least the next four weeks. That’s a difficult concept for the always enthusiastic Reel.

“I’m always hyperactive and I hate having to sit around and watch,” Reel said. “I mean, I enjoy watching my teammates play. But I’m very into the game, and it hurts having to sit out and watch.”

The good news is that Reel is expected to be back for the stretch run. ADM boys soccer head coach Bill Shields said that in the interim, Reel’s absence will be felt.

“Yeah, that’s a blow because both his speed and his experience are missed,” Shields said. “But it’s more playing opportunities for other people is in a sense what it amounts to at the moment. Hopefully Johnny will be back, and in the meantime some of the others have to step up and fill that gap.”