Turn on the Friday night lights

[HLin NC]

http://www.citizen-times.com/article...xt|Frontpage|s

ASHEVILLE — This morning, about 1,000 teenagers woke up with that special tingle, the realization that opening night is just hours away.

The anticipation that has been building since last autumn is over, the hours of offseason work put in, four weeks of preseason practice in oppressive heat completed, tonight the sacrifices pay off.
High school football, played around here for about 100 years, kicks off at 7:30 p.m.
A total of 29 Western North Carolina teams will play in 18 games that count — no more jamborees or scrimmages, these go down as a win or loss after 48 minutes of conflict.
Today, all players, coaches and fans climbed out of bed unbeaten and not scored upon, dreams of what could have been not yet replaced by the cruel reality that some will be outplayed by others.
The end of one season erases records and memories for those who would prefer to forget and look hopefully ahead to better times.
Right now, Enka and North Buncombe believe they can be as good as Asheville and Reynolds, Cherokee thinks it can unseat Murphy and Swain.
Every team has questions to answer, goals to achieve, injuries to avoid, destinies to define.
Band members by the thousands, cheerleaders by the hundreds are also ready to provide their services to the games.
The tubas will gleam under bright lights dimmed since last year, as shiny as the wide smiles of the girls with ribbons in their hair and temporary patch tattoos on their faces dancing on the tracks surrounding the fields.
Fans will gather, reverting to their habitual Friday night routines of mid-August to early November, the weekend starting with traditions performed last year and to be repeated again next season.
Even the weather recognizes the change from summer to football — the last couple of days offering a hint of cooler breezes, a reminder that soon blankets will be part of the pregame packing plan for mom.
The helmets have been polished, the shoes cleaned, the uniforms washed, eagerly awaiting the scratches, tears and grass stains inflicted as soon as that first whistle blows.
Teams will warm up on immaculate fields with catchy tunes blaring from press boxes, as fans file in, buying their tickets, programs and 50-50 raffles.
The talk will be of new quarterbacks and coaches, returning players who look bigger and stronger with another year on them, the belief that this is the “wait till next year” season when the balls bounce our way, when referees’ calls and coaching decisions all fall in our favor.
Some will be satisfied or even overjoyed with what they see, others will quickly slip into the “it’s too early to tell” or “it’s just the first game” mode as the fumbles, interceptions and missed tackles start adding up to defeat.
Either way, they will cheer.
Win or lose, buoyant or dejected, the important role this weekly four-month ritual plays in our lives is back, and it feels good, feels right.
Time to play ball.