2 minute read
It’s time
My first memory of high school football is still very vivid. It was late 1974, and I was in the fourth grade. My mom gave me two dollars before I got on the bus that day, money that was earmarked for a football ticket.
We could buy tickets to the high school game at lunch at Hubbard Elementary School, and after the transaction occurred, I clutched that ticket as tight as if it was a winning lottery ticket.
All I could think about for the rest of the day was that ticket. It was beautiful in its simplicity, plain white card stock with black ink and the words “Admit One” written across it.
The high school my dad and uncles attended, and the one my sister and I would eventually attend, was playing a game against some big school from Atlanta with a funny name.
On a chilly night in November, the ninthranked St. Pius X Golden Lions invaded Mitchell Field in Forsyth, Georgia, to play the topranked and undefeated Mary Persons Bulldogs.
Back then, the home side of Mitchell Field is now the visitors. The sidelines were so close to the stands that you could almost reach out and touch the players. They seemed larger than life, even though they were only a few years older.
It is that time again; football season is here.
And although it is 49 years later, I still get that same feeling after lunch on Friday like I just bought the golden ticket. I hope that never goes away.
Whether you are a fan of Central Christian, East Coweta, Heritage, Newnan, Northgate, or Trinity Christian, it is all the same.
So, settle in for the next three months, prepare to cheer and encourage, but most of all, enjoy the feeling that only comes from high school football.
The secret is out; it is time. Please join me in making another season of memories.
