High School Football

The thrill of Friday night...the lights...the sounds...the whistle blowing...the band...who cannot love Friday Night Highschool Football?!?!?!? I love it. I always have. I was in marching band. I was at every Friday night game...even the ones where we were stomped into the ground. Sure...there have been times when I have made faces about going back to support my alma mater....but deep down...I love it all!!!

I was so excited by the prospect of our first Friday Night game at Culpeper County High School. The stadium is right there on campus so it is very convenient. Let me start by saying that this stadium doesn't hold a candle to the ones that I grew up going to. CCHS stadium looks more like a middle school stadium in Texas. The like to boast that football is King here...but they don't know anything about Texas football! But that was just the beginning....so first we have tiny stands...which are separated from the field by a huge concrete track-like thing....this is where all the students spend their time at the game...just walking in a big oval...over and over and over again. Then there is a short chain link fence...right on the other side of the fence is the actual track...and then finally you get to the field. It feels like you are miles away from the action and it is hard to see all that is going on.

Then there is the size of the team...relatively small in numbers considering there are over 2000 kids in the school. We had about that many in my high school and we had a huge football team. I will save my discussion of the game for a bit yet. There are however, 20 cheerleaders. Quite alot...but they actually cheer the whole game! I was quite impressed. The band was very good...considering it only had about 50 people marching in it. (Another shock considering the actual size of the school.) The marched extremely well and sound good too. The other team didn't even bring a band...(I found out today that the visiting team doesn't usually bring a band with them...how very sad...away trips were always the most fun!). While the band was great on the field...they barely played in the stands...My mom would have been amazed. She is always thinking that the GHS band doesn't play enough in the stands during the game...however, compared to what the CCHS band did...well...there really is no competition. LOL

Now onto the game....we lost....30-7. It was rather sad in all. We have no defensive line or offensive line...no pass rush...no...well...really not much of anything. We were intercepted so many times it wasn't even funny. We can throw the ball well...now if only we could catch it more. We have a kid that is pretty good at kick-off returns...he probably would have made a couple of touch downs had he been one or two more steps ahead of the other team. But we also had alot of stupid penalties...like the blasted delay of game. I hate that penalty...there is no reason on Earth for a team to get a delay of game!!! I mean...how blind to you have to be to see a giant clock ticking down the seconds right in front of you. Then our coach...we he got an unsportsman like conduct penalty...that was stupid too. The other team also made a safety on us...overall...I felt like I was back at my good old GHS freshman and sophomore year football games.

Of course...today my kids were very excited that I went to the game and were happy to groan over the more horrible moments with me. I think there were shocked that I knew about football and could complain along with the best of them. Of course...being the ever positive teacher...I pointed out...that we have a long season ahead of us and we have lots of room for improvement! Most of them just rolled their eyes...and secretly I did too!

I was proud of myself though...I stayed the entire game...right up until the last sad minutes. I can only hope that this next Friday night we display a much better team!

Overall...it felt good to be back at a Friday night game...enjoying the sounds and smells and sights. (Of which, I saw more than I wanted to of many of my students...including much kisses and grabbing that I could have done without!!!). LOL...it was fun to reminisce...remembering my own days in high school. The times when I was much more interested in my latest crush...and could care less about what the football team was actually doing on the field. Oh the memories!