[touchdownkentucky]

Am I the only one out here that misses Friday night in the small communities. All of the great cross county rivals waiting 365 days each year for that one special night that let some high school football player walk off the field a legends that would never be forgotten. I miss the feeling of butterflies in my stomach just before kickoff, knowing that if you were to lose this game you would let down not only your team, but also your town, and your family. I miss looking up in the stands and seeing the same faces in the same exact seats week in and week out. Remember how our dads that worked so hard all week and rushed home on Friday so they could get to the games on time,and how could we forget our moms that always had our uniforms clean, and a hot meal ready on gameday.I hope that all of you who are privileged enough to put the pads on every day take in the sights, the sounds, and appreciate all the people who work behind the scenes who make it possible for you to play the game you love. So make every snap count because one day you will understand just how lucky you were!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mr. Sandwich]

Well said. Almost brings a tear to your eye. Great post.

[Hilbily]

Good times. Its ok to let it out brother. I feel really bad sometimes myself. I am on the other side of the country and can't get to a good game. The town i live in won state this year and it was awesome. If you compare it to good old Mt. Football though it just ain't the same. My advice is go and get involved with your old team as much as you can. Help the boosters, hold a Barbecue take some young bloods fishing and pass on your knowledge. You are still part of it all,you earned it and that will never change.

[allseasonfan]

I'm PUMPED NOW!!!!! I ready to suck in my old Gut and strap em' back on and knock heads. I do miss it though. THat was a great post!!!

[dfblackcat53]

That about made me cry.

[BlackcatAlum]

Great Post!!!

This is the time of these kids life, they may not know it yet but they will once it is gone.

[Playboy5]

Very nice post..and to answer..YES I DO MISS FRIDAY NIGHTS! Nothing like it!

[CraftCreeker]

Seniors and Coaches told me whenever I was a freshman about 8 years ago said that I would miss football and to cherish it, and I didn't want to believe that you could actually miss something that much. Here I am now and I would give just about anything to play again. Best years of my life was spent on the football field. Although it doesn't really hit you until the year after you graduate.. at least it didn't for me

[bucslover68]

I really don't know if kids today realize how good they have it by being able to play football under the Friday night lights. Even if you play ball at a school that isn't very good, you should play each play like it is your last. Three or four years goes by so fast and then for most kids its over and all they have to hold onto are the glory days. Take it away Boss.

[BlackBearDenMother]

Great posts guys...made me a little misty-eyed too, and I'm a female and didn't play football. I did play basketball though and can appreciate the sentiment and feelings brought up by the Friday Night Lights. :thumpsup:

[UK Wildcat]

Remember how our dads that worked so hard all week and rushed home on Friday so they could get to the games on time,and how could we forget our moms that always had our uniforms clean, and a hot meal ready on gameday.

Great Post!!!

[OldHasBeenOfEstill]

Am I the only one out here that misses Friday night in the small communities. All of the great cross county rivals waiting 365 days each year for that one special night that let some high school football player walk off the field a legends that would never be forgotten. I miss the feeling of butterflies in my stomach just before kickoff, knowing that if you were to lose this game you would let down not only your team, but also your town, and your family. I miss looking up in the stands and seeing the same faces in the same exact seats week in and week out. Remember how our dads that worked so hard all week and rushed home on Friday so they could get to the games on time,and how could we forget our moms that always had our uniforms clean, and a hot meal ready on gameday.I hope that all of you who are privileged enough to put the pads on every day take in the sights, the sounds, and appreciate all the people who work behind the scenes who make it possible for you to play the game you love. So make every snap count because one day you will understand just how lucky you were!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stated like true poetry, my friend. Leaves goosebumps for this oldtimer! Thank you and Bravo!:1:

[HAIL PIKEVILLE!]

Am I the only one out here that misses Friday night in the small communities. All of the great cross county rivals waiting 365 days each year for that one special night that let some high school football player walk off the field a legends that would never be forgotten. I miss the feeling of butterflies in my stomach just before kickoff, knowing that if you were to lose this game you would let down not only your team, but also your town, and your family. I miss looking up in the stands and seeing the same faces in the same exact seats week in and week out. Remember how our dads that worked so hard all week and rushed home on Friday so they could get to the games on time,and how could we forget our moms that always had our uniforms clean, and a hot meal ready on gameday.I hope that all of you who are privileged enough to put the pads on every day take in the sights, the sounds, and appreciate all the people who work behind the scenes who make it possible for you to play the game you love. So make every snap count because one day you will understand just how lucky you were!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Man you said it all right there. The part about the Dads got me. I played many of games with my old man on the sidelines still black with coal dust and Im sure Im not the only one. I never new then how much sacrifice he made for me until years later. I lost him about 3 years ago now but not a friday night game goes by that I dont think about him. Its like I always say "What I wouldnt give for a set of shoulder pads and a year of eligibility" LOL!

[bubs72]

After I read the first post above, I wanted to share this with you guys. I am an old Cumberland Redskin and I wrote this last August when I knew that the Maroon and White would never take the field again. I live close to the high school and one August morning I was getting ready to cut the grass and heard the HS band practicing and I went inside the house and wrote this little story. I hope you guys like it.


The Drums of Autumn
You feel it don’t you? That little twinge on the back of your neck, telling you that the first autumn chill isn’t far off. Or was it that distant drum beat that let the memories come flooding back. As sure as the dog days of August return, the hopes and dreams of another season comes with them, the hope that one more time we will play for more than pride; this is the season that we will play for a shot at a championship. The dream that once again we will call down the thunder, and our name will be feared and respected, that the ghosts of past players and coaches will linger for one more magical moment in the cool night air and tip the scales in our favor.
You begin to smell that familiar aroma of the grass in those hot summer mornings and it takes you back to another time, many, many years ago. Sweating in the heat of a July morning, listening as the quarterback calls the play in the huddle, waiting for the linebacker to make a defensive call moments before the ball is snapped, trying your best to make it through one more wind sprint without stopping. Then as summer turns to fall you can remember pep rallies on Fridays, those nerve racking final moments before the opening kickoff, the butterflies in your stomach almost coming up before the first snap, then everything falling into place after the first good hit. You will always remember that feeling of the block that sprung a long TD run, delivering a crushing tackle behind the line of scrimmage, the stinging of a bitter loss or the unspeakable joy of a come from behind win. Those long, hot summer practices and cool Friday nights all seem to run together now, the drums of autumn gone before you could really enjoy them.
Years later as you walk through the parking lot, you hear the reminiscing of old teammates, your old heroes talking of glory years long gone. You remember watching them as you grew up, dreaming of becoming like them when it was your turn. Familiar faces greet you and ask if you remember a certain game or play from years ago, you smile because you do; they still haunt your dreams and thoughts even though many Friday nights have passed since. The sounds and smells of the walk to the stadium fill you up as you breathe it all in, and let it out. Arriving early, you get to experience the tried and true traditions of the team drills and warm ups, the same ones you went through to long ago. Another chill runs down your spine when the hated rival of many years takes the field, and in your mind you know it was no different from when the armor clad Knights of old marched onto the field of battle and sized up their opponents. In the distance you hear that drum beat again, as the band makes it way to the stadium, and for a moment you know what it felt like to hear the ancient war drums, and the anxiousness that dwelt within each warrior as they prepared for the fight. As the drums draw closer you can feel the tension rise in the air, as one by one they file into the stadium in their beloved school colors to play the fight song and the National Anthem. The captains meet at midfield and the coin toss only delays what has been days and months of anticipation, you hope to win the toss so your vaunted defense can take the field and quickly squash any dreams or notions the opponent has of winning this game. As the defense is introduced you swear that you can almost hear names of long ago heroes being called, and for a moment you strain to hear your name called as well. You remember the faces in the huddle, the unity, the same willingness to get the job done no matter what and smile, hoping that they share the same desire and drive to win at all costs. The chill in the air means the season is finally here and you hope that they realize that those hot summer practices and cool Friday nights won’t last forever, and that before to long those drums of autumn will only be a memory for them as well.
By:Brandon Howard

[HAIL PIKEVILLE!]

After I read the first post above, I wanted to share this with you guys. I am an old Cumberland Redskin and I wrote this last August when I knew that the Maroon and White would never take the field again. I live close to the high school and one August morning I was getting ready to cut the grass and heard the HS band practicing and I went inside the house and wrote this little story. I hope you guys like it.


The Drums of Autumn
You feel it don’t you? That little twinge on the back of your neck, telling you that the first autumn chill isn’t far off. Or was it that distant drum beat that let the memories come flooding back. As sure as the dog days of August return, the hopes and dreams of another season comes with them, the hope that one more time we will play for more than pride; this is the season that we will play for a shot at a championship. The dream that once again we will call down the thunder, and our name will be feared and respected, that the ghosts of past players and coaches will linger for one more magical moment in the cool night air and tip the scales in our favor.
You begin to smell that familiar aroma of the grass in those hot summer mornings and it takes you back to another time, many, many years ago. Sweating in the heat of a July morning, listening as the quarterback calls the play in the huddle, waiting for the linebacker to make a defensive call moments before the ball is snapped, trying your best to make it through one more wind sprint without stopping. Then as summer turns to fall you can remember pep rallies on Fridays, those nerve racking final moments before the opening kickoff, the butterflies in your stomach almost coming up before the first snap, then everything falling into place after the first good hit. You will always remember that feeling of the block that sprung a long TD run, delivering a crushing tackle behind the line of scrimmage, the stinging of a bitter loss or the unspeakable joy of a come from behind win. Those long, hot summer practices and cool Friday nights all seem to run together now, the drums of autumn gone before you could really enjoy them.
Years later as you walk through the parking lot, you hear the reminiscing of old teammates, your old heroes talking of glory years long gone. You remember watching them as you grew up, dreaming of becoming like them when it was your turn. Familiar faces greet you and ask if you remember a certain game or play from years ago, you smile because you do; they still haunt your dreams and thoughts even though many Friday nights have passed since. The sounds and smells of the walk to the stadium fill you up as you breathe it all in, and let it out. Arriving early, you get to experience the tried and true traditions of the team drills and warm ups, the same ones you went through to long ago. Another chill runs down your spine when the hated rival of many years takes the field, and in your mind you know it was no different from when the armor clad Knights of old marched onto the field of battle and sized up their opponents. In the distance you hear that drum beat again, as the band makes it way to the stadium, and for a moment you know what it felt like to hear the ancient war drums, and the anxiousness that dwelt within each warrior as they prepared for the fight. As the drums draw closer you can feel the tension rise in the air, as one by one they file into the stadium in their beloved school colors to play the fight song and the National Anthem. The captains meet at midfield and the coin toss only delays what has been days and months of anticipation, you hope to win the toss so your vaunted defense can take the field and quickly squash any dreams or notions the opponent has of winning this game. As the defense is introduced you swear that you can almost hear names of long ago heroes being called, and for a moment you strain to hear your name called as well. You remember the faces in the huddle, the unity, the same willingness to get the job done no matter what and smile, hoping that they share the same desire and drive to win at all costs. The chill in the air means the season is finally here and you hope that they realize that those hot summer practices and cool Friday nights won’t last forever, and that before to long those drums of autumn will only be a memory for them as well.
By:Brandon Howard

That was AWESOME!

[bucslover68]

That was an awesome story Brandon. May you enjoy many falls in the future and the smells of the leaves and grass that signify the best time of the year...high school football.