The best day of the year!

There is a chill in the air.
The smell of fresh cut grass.
There is an electricity with this day.

Young men all over the country wake up and take part in a tradition that spans a hundred years. They will don a jersey in their school colors, with a name on the front that is not theirs, but yet they wear it with pride.

It’s time my friends to kick-off football in America.

Today the gridiron gang will walk the halls with their shoulders a little higher and a stride in their step, for tonight they become warriors.

Tonight, they head into battle with their brothers. They have worked to learn plays, understand their opponents and begin to truly understand themselves. In 48 ticks of the scoreboard, they will learn what it really means to be a teammate, a brother and a school hero.

As they take the field emotions will run high, both with them and in the stands. This will be a night of firsts. For some will take the field for the first time ever and for others this will be their last-first game. New players, new coaches, new uniforms and a fresh start.

But together they stand. They stand for each other. They stand for their coaches and parents and school spirit. And each and every one of them will make us fall in love with this day again.

They will make us proud. Proud to be their parent, proud to be family, friends or teammates, and proud to be their coach.

Tonight is YOUR night gentlemen. Take a moment to look around.
Listen to the sounds, remember the lights and the feel of the grass in your cleats. The stadium lights and the sounds of the fans cheering for YOU.

This night is yours.
You decide how it ends and all of us will be right there with you.