The Front Row with JASON ELLIOTT Aug. 27, 2011
Whether it be sitting in the bleachers or tailgating, most fans of football have some special traditions when the time comes to watch their favorite teams take the field.
High school sports aren't any different, whether it's a game with a nonleague opponent or a nemesis, when it comes to Friday night, usually it is spent on a campus near you.
AS LONG as there have been high school sports, there have been rivalries.
Some have a long history like Wallace and Kellogg, who played football against each other more than 100 times before the rivalry ended once the Miners dropped into the North Star League and its 8-man football format.
The teams still meet at least twice a year on the basketball court, and many still come out to watch, even if that's the only time they'll show up all season.
But those games played indoors don't compare to the games on the football field.
Very rarely do you see a group of alumni standing along the sideline for any game less than homecoming or a game featuring that school you'd hated with a passion not so long ago.
No matter what those traditions may include - special dinners before kickoff or wearing your favorite team apparel - the time is here again.
WHEN I started as a reporter over 10 years ago at the newspaper in Kellogg, the idea of having a 10:30 p.m. deadline was something I had to get used to pretty quick.
It helped having a team that played at 3 p.m. with no lights on the field because I could take my time getting as much information as possible.
Those late games, that was another story.
Dodging traffic back to the office, sometimes having a few minutes to sum up a 2 1/2-hour game got frustrating, but it happened - one way or the other.
Sometimes, in the cases of homecoming, the deadline was something that approached a lot quicker than the players flying off the sidelines.
But no matter who was playing, the excitement never goes away, whether it be a game in the North Star League or the Inland Empire League.
The reason is that, as a fan, there is nothing better than being on the sidelines and watching a competitive game.
NO MATTER the outcome, it is nice to be talking about football again, no lockouts nor postponements that come at the start of spring sports in North Idaho.
Professional, college, prep, it’s a great time of the season.
And a traditional part of Friday night for longer than I can remember.
Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected].