Football Friday!

I enjoyed watching my boys play high school football.  Friday nights were the highlight of the weeks in the fall.  It was all I could do to get any work done on Fridays.  I would often leave work around noon because all I could think about was getting to the game to watch them play.  I looked forward to Football Friday!

As a small private school, we were in a league with other small schools, some of which were two or three hours away.  That was okay with me.  It gave me a great excuse to leave the office early and get on the road.  When we had a home game, we would get there a couple of hours early to tailgate with our friends.  It was kind of like the “dinner on the grounds” we used to have at church, except we talked about football.

I was a member of the “chain gang” and couldn’t wait to get on the sidelines.  I usually got onto the field at least 30 minutes before game time so I could make sure the equipment was there are ready to go.  That only took about five minutes, but I just wanted to get out on the field.  I loved working the chains.  I had a great view of the action on the field, and was right in the middle of the visiting team’s coaches for much of the games.  It was interesting to listen to them interact with their players, and to listen to their players talk about our players.  I had some close-up views of my boys in the trenches.  I vividly remember one hit that Tyler made right in front of me.  He hit the ball carrier so hard I didn’t think either of them would get up, and I was relieved when they did.  Our all-dad chain crew would get an adrenaline rush as we watched our boys play.  It was almost like being on the field, except we didn’t get hurt!

I went to the inaugural home game at Fellowship Christian’s on-campus field this season.  It was great to see them play their first game on campus.  I noticed the chain gang on the other side of the field.  I’m sure they were feeling the same rush when they saw their sons make a play.  I miss those Football Fridays!