Sports Briefs: Friday Night Rites

Brad: Friday night high school games are the place to be in my town. If you're not there, then you're obviously not a part of the cool people. The game is the "it" thing to do in my town. It is either go watch our high school football team or hang out in the parking lot of the Dollar General. (We don't even have a Wal-Mart, haha.)

Chris: This is the same quandary I faced. Finding a parking space during the game for one's horse was a remarkable conquest.

Ralphie: Friday night home games are the best! Our town is small so everyone is there. Kids from all grades. All the parents of everyone is there. Everyone gets hot chocolate and has fun. It's a great family time. They even put up ribbons through our town that match our team colors.

Chris: High school football games are for small towns like the Super Bowl is for John Mellencamp's country. Everyone (entire town/entire country) is excited, there are numerous distractions (marching bands, ribbons, bonfires, plastic footballs/media, parties, halftime) and the game becomes an afterthought. I usually knew which team won, but it became difficult to watch more than one entire play, due to being in the midst of a fistfight. (I may attempt to write a thesis about this one day, in order to acquire a doctorate, forcing everyone to address me as "Doctor.")

Joe: High school football in Texas . . . never heard of it. Have all the cows already been tipped over?

Brad: High school football makes me think of Texas. And when I think about Texas, I think about the Cowboys. And when I think about the Cowboys, I think about Eli Manning leading a heckuva a drive, and Tynes kicking the winning field goal for the Giants to beat the Cowboys. Good memories huh, Chris? Haha.

Joe: I haven't gone to a high school game in a very long time. Yes, don't remind me . . . I'm old. But my high school had a winning tradition for decades. That's no longer the case. And it saddens me. Last season, the team scored 30 points all season (18 of those in one game). It gave up more than 350. (I'm serious.) This season, they have lost 45 - 6, 35 - 0 and 71 - 6. I am surly as it is. There's no reason for me to go see that just to make me more surly. I'm 99 percent sure that there's more physical contact from "Dancing with the Stars" contestants than there is from my old high school team on the football field.

Brad: I love going to any kind of football game, from peewee league to high school to college ball to NFL games. Every time I go to a high school game, all I can think about is how badly I wish I could be out there and how much I miss the special times on and off the field with my teammates. It's pretty cool because the freshmen and sophomores, who I lead through drills a couple years back, are now juniors and seniors leading the team. There is something special about high school football.

Chris: In the days before I wore deodorant, I admired high school scholars as much as I did any college or professional player.

Ralphie: I think they are really good. I love going to the games.

Chris: However, upon entering high school, I was able to ascertain that Dexter Manley and other professionals deserved more admiration than I had previously given them. I had the same epiphany in college, and it was not until I was out of college for a few years that I was able to look back and conclude that Allsup's does indeed serve tasty burritos. It is easier to admire athletes, be it high school, college or professional, when one is not the same age as said athlete. One could say I had come (making circular motion with my pointer fingers) full circle.

Ralphie: I look forward to being a part of the team and to try to be one of the best players.

Brad: Ralphie needs to stick to hockey discussions. I've only been to one game this year because I'm in college now, and it's waay more awesome to go to college football games. High school games seem like they are in slow motion when watching in the stands than from what I remember being on the field, but that's just because I always had the adrenaline going and was always hyped. In my opinion, players are getting stronger, faster and smarter with each and every generation. Almost every corner in the NFL runs a 4.4 40-yard dash or better. Speed kills.

Joe: They call it "smashmouth" football for a reason. Football went downhill when they made everyone wear facemasks. Everyone become a pansy. They stopped having three, four or even five guys in the backfield. (Long live the Wing-T.) Now, all you get are a bunch of guys who don't want to be hit looking to celebrate in the end zone. That's not football . . . at any level. Football is about bloody knuckles and a knee to the groin. It's about 33 straight dive plays up the middle. It's about guys playing offense and defense. It's about three yards and a cloud of dust.

Brad: Joe played back when they didn't know what a pass was, and no matter what, somebody was gonna lose some teeth.

Joe: Shouldn't you go text or tweet or eat or something?