BY KYLE LOVERN
There is something special about high school football in America and the bond it brings to small towns and rural communities.
The excitement of your school playing on a crisp, cool autumn Friday night is something many look forward to each week.
Many of you have a son or grandson who plays or has played high school football. Others have a daughter or granddaughter who is a cheerleader. Many have someone who plays in the marching band or maybe a majorette. So many students participate in the games or the other things offered and involved.
Then there are literally thousands that are just huge high school football fans. They wear T-shirts and sweatshirts of their school colors and mascots.
The memories of those Friday nights are special to many. The glory days of the fathers, brothers and grandfathers will live forever. Many still talk about certain games and remember certain plays. Some have really special memories if they were lucky and privileged enough to have won a championship.
Some songs have captured those moments and memories. Two recent ones that come to mind are the “Boys of Fall” by Kenny Chesney and “Half of My Hometown” by Kelsea Ballerini.
There have been many movies that were true stories written about teams and coaches, like “Remember the Titans” and “Friday Night Lights.” These capture those special bonds and the sometimes ups and downs many players and coaches live through.
We realized how much we would miss these games during the COVID shutdown. There were no more pep rallies at school or tailgates before the games, no packed-out stadiums with hundreds of fans from two schools cheering and rooting for their school’s football players.
Football is the most popular sport in America these days. That is taking nothing away from basketball and baseball, which I love, but football is king, especially in the south and rural areas.
The game brings the highest of highs and the lowest of lows when teams win or lose, especially in big games. The contests against local rivals are even more popular.
The games have caused arguments between friends and family members.
Football is more than a game to many people; it is an obsession. It is this great combination of the sport and culture of a region. It is a sport that can be accessible to most anyone. Many are a part of the team but never see much action on the field. Nonetheless, they are still a part of something special.
No matter your age, there is a way you can be involved with the game: as a player, cheerleader, rabid fan or just someone who enjoys the social aspect of getting together on those cool Fall nights.
The games start in later summer when it’s hot and humid, transition into those cool autumn evenings and then can end up playing in very cold weather and even snow. Games can be played in the rain, the mud and almost any weather, except lightning storms.
Many schools and communities have their own traditions, like running through a tunnel of fans before the start of the game. There is the homecoming game with queens and attendants. There are Senior Night, Parent Night, and other special nights for the spectators and enthusiastic fans who never miss a game.
It is one of the sports where fans can get emotionally involved with their team. They look forward to those Friday night games and the excitement that gears up all week across the United States. Football is a favorite whether it’s in the larger cities, smaller towns, rural farm communities, or country towns like ours in southern West Virginia and eastern Kentucky.
Football is popular with colleges on Saturday afternoons and professional games on Sundays. Of course, now that popularity has seen games scheduled on television almost every night of the week.
There is still something special about small-town high school football teams. It is a feeling that cannot be beaten.
(Kyle Lovern is a longtime journalist in the Tug Valley. He is now a retired freelance writer and columnist for the Mountain Citizen.)