Today’s generation probably has no idea who Ferris Bueller is but for those my age, we all know who Ferris was. An iconic character from the 1980’s film who had a line that is still true to this day; “life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
Life does move fast and believe it or not it has been seven months since Highland Springs became the latest team from the region to win a state title. That was when we last saw a team within the region in action minus the Big River Rivalry of course. That was seven months ago and here we are now a little over a month away from the first game of the 2016 season being played.
Every year it’s the same… whether you are a coach, player, parent, fan or in the media. We anticipate the start of the season and in the blink of an eye, our season comes to an end, sometimes sooner than we like. At first I think everyone welcomes the break after weeks of preparing for the season, playing for the season and then playoffs but not long after that, you do miss it. Sure you have the leadup to National Signing Day after the holidays but then what? 7 on 7’s and camps wet the appetite but it’s just a tease of what is lurking in August. Knowing that in a few short weeks those young men we watch on Friday nights will be hard at work. Did you miss it? Did you miss high school football?
Did you miss?
Those first couple of weeks when you arrive to the stadium for the start of your game and you still have daylight and fans in shorts… Knowing that within a few short weeks we will all be in pants, jackets and scrambling for coffee or hot chocolate on the really cold nights.
The music pumping through the stadium and seeing the teams on the field, stretching, yelling and getting jacked for the game.
The smell of the food emanating from the concession stands… be it burgers, fries, hot dogs or in some cases pizza or fish fries… it all smells good.
The familiar faces in the stands, the ones that return year after year to cheer on their teams, their neighbors, community. The fans who even though their children have come and gone, they still have the team spirit.
The sounds of cowbells whether you are a rural school or not.
The outrageous things the student sections will come up with this year… The kids who run around without a shirt on while the rest of us are layered in clothing.
The cheerleaders holding up the banners as the team rushes the field…
The coaches yelling or in some cases the coaches in the stands that think they know more than the coaches on the field…
The returning players and the hope they bring…
The players we don’t yet know but by seasons end we are all cheering for…
The road games to stadiums we might not be familiar with…
The weather watching that comes as you near Friday hoping for no rain…
The big games be it playoff contenders, homecoming or rivalry games…
The sound of helmets and pads crashing…
The sight of your team in the lead on the scoreboard…
The feeling you have walking away from a game you know you should have/could have won…
The feeling you have walking away from a game you did win…
The feeling you have entering the playoffs…
The feeling you have when it’s all over…
Be it high school football or any sport you are passionate about, you are a fan of; you miss every aspect of it. For all those associated with high school football, our days of longing for the sport are coming to a close…
Over the next several weeks we will be previewing the teams of the Richmond Region… the players to watch… the new coaches we will see on the sidelines this fall and of course… who the last teams standing will be. All leading up to that first game being played on Friday, Aug. 26th.
Life does move fast and believe it or not it has been seven months since Highland Springs became the latest team from the region to win a state title. That was when we last saw a team within the region in action minus the Big River Rivalry of course. That was seven months ago and here we are now a little over a month away from the first game of the 2016 season being played.
Every year it’s the same… whether you are a coach, player, parent, fan or in the media. We anticipate the start of the season and in the blink of an eye, our season comes to an end, sometimes sooner than we like. At first I think everyone welcomes the break after weeks of preparing for the season, playing for the season and then playoffs but not long after that, you do miss it. Sure you have the leadup to National Signing Day after the holidays but then what? 7 on 7’s and camps wet the appetite but it’s just a tease of what is lurking in August. Knowing that in a few short weeks those young men we watch on Friday nights will be hard at work. Did you miss it? Did you miss high school football?
Did you miss?
Those first couple of weeks when you arrive to the stadium for the start of your game and you still have daylight and fans in shorts… Knowing that within a few short weeks we will all be in pants, jackets and scrambling for coffee or hot chocolate on the really cold nights.
The music pumping through the stadium and seeing the teams on the field, stretching, yelling and getting jacked for the game.
The smell of the food emanating from the concession stands… be it burgers, fries, hot dogs or in some cases pizza or fish fries… it all smells good.
The familiar faces in the stands, the ones that return year after year to cheer on their teams, their neighbors, community. The fans who even though their children have come and gone, they still have the team spirit.
The sounds of cowbells whether you are a rural school or not.
The outrageous things the student sections will come up with this year… The kids who run around without a shirt on while the rest of us are layered in clothing.
The cheerleaders holding up the banners as the team rushes the field…
The coaches yelling or in some cases the coaches in the stands that think they know more than the coaches on the field…
The returning players and the hope they bring…
The players we don’t yet know but by seasons end we are all cheering for…
The road games to stadiums we might not be familiar with…
The weather watching that comes as you near Friday hoping for no rain…
The big games be it playoff contenders, homecoming or rivalry games…
The sound of helmets and pads crashing…
The sight of your team in the lead on the scoreboard…
The feeling you have walking away from a game you know you should have/could have won…
The feeling you have walking away from a game you did win…
The feeling you have entering the playoffs…
The feeling you have when it’s all over…
Be it high school football or any sport you are passionate about, you are a fan of; you miss every aspect of it. For all those associated with high school football, our days of longing for the sport are coming to a close…
Over the next several weeks we will be previewing the teams of the Richmond Region… the players to watch… the new coaches we will see on the sidelines this fall and of course… who the last teams standing will be. All leading up to that first game being played on Friday, Aug. 26th.
