Top 5 Reasons to Watch
High School Football
By John Kessanis
Posted: September 16, 2009
4:48 pm
Gridiron New Jersey
With millions of people watching collegiate
football on Saturdays, and billions of dollars being "invested" on pros every
Sunday this fall, it's hard to appreciate the fact that some of the best games
every week are being played on Friday nights.
Yes, there is a large talent disparity between
some teams. And sure, the steel bleachers at high school
games aren't exactly Pier 1 material.
We do not buy jerseys with a high school
player's name on the back. Heck, it's difficult to even buy a
jersey, period.
Even attendance numbers are nothing to write
home about. A "packed" high school game may only bring out
about 1,000 fans.
But aside from perhaps an achy back and a lack
of official team apparel, what happens at a
high school football game is enough to bring out a smile on even the dullest
personality. There is something about hearing the same
cheerleader fight songs and sitting under the same lights on Friday nights
during the fall which can enchant almost any sports fan.
Having said all that, here are the top 5
reasons to go to high school football games:
5.) Free Parking.
Unless you are going to a game at a non-high school venue, which might,
maybe, charge you for parking, you can leave
your car pretty much anywhere you please. Can't find a
comfortable spot in the school lot? Most, if not all schools,
are surrounded by side streets which are only a couple hundred feet from the
field. Even before you get to the gate, you have saved
upwards of $20. Score one for the kids.
4.) The 50/50.
Booster Clubs unite! Members of these clubs can be
seen at almost every high school game in
New Jersey (and, I would assume, countrywide) passing
out those little tickets that usually spew out of a ski-ball machine at
Chuck E' Cheese. You can get one
ticket, take advantage of one of their group deals (10 tickets for $5), or get
an "arm's length" for a flat rate. No matter how much you’re
looking to spend, you can get in the action.
The pay-outs aren't bad either.
At last week's River Dell/Ridgefield Park game, the half time prize was
$200. In addition, a separate
raffle awarded its winner a pair of tickets to see Bruce Springsteen.
Not bad for something which probably cost less than a hot dog at your
local NFL stadium.
3.) The Snack Bar.
Speaking of that hot dog, how would you like to get 2 with all the
fixings you want for say... four dollars? Or maybe a two
dollar cheeseburger? One dollar pretzel, anyone?
Any professional or collegiate game you go to will charge prices for
foods which can be made or bought at a grocery score for a fraction of the
price. At that same game in River Dell, it was announced at
half time that everything at the Snack Bar was 2-for-1. When
was the last time you got a deal like that at the Meadowlands?
Didn't think so.
2.) The Fans.
Season ticket holders aside, how many of us know who we will be sitting
next to at the game we spent $100 for tickets on?
Furthermore, who are they there to see, the good guys or the bad guys?
For the most part, fans at high school games are either family of the
players and coaches, or family and friends – specifically students – associated
with the school. Sure, this is also the case at college
games, but only in the student section can you have a secure assurance of who
will be sitting directly around you. And no one cheers harder
for a player then their parents, no matter what the level of play.
The scene is more like something out of Cheers
than, say, the population in a Where's Waldo
book. Sit next to a neighbor, or the parents of one of your
son's friends, or one of the teachers who may have taught you once before.
Odds are you'll run into someone you know.
1.) The Game.
These kids aren't getting paid like the pros. They
aren't on the cusp of landing big money contracts in the NFL like collegiate
athletes. These are kids who are out there playing the game
they love. It has not yet become a business for about 99.99%
of all high school players. There are those blue chip
prospects for whom the game does become more than a game at an early age.
Some would consider them lucky. However, looking back
on it, high school football was probably the most enjoyable four month span of
my school life. The teammates are genuine friends.
The egos have not yet blossomed. The skill sets may
not be all there, but the atmosphere of a school electrified by some of their
young students representing its domestic colors under the lights on an autumn
Friday is something which, once it catches you, is hard to escape.
There are less distractions, and rather more attractions.
The Snack Bar. The 50/50.
The free parking. The cowbells and air horns.
The cheerleaders who love the players, both literally and figuratively.
And the fact of knowing that those students are out there busting their
tail for one reason and one reason only. They love playing
high school football.
And you should love watching it.
PS- I would have put ticket price on this
list, but not every school even charges for games. And the
ones that do almost never charge more than $10. Even more
bang for your buck on a Friday night.
John Kessanis covers the BCSL for Gridiron New
Jersey and can be reached at john.kessanis@gridironnewjersey.com.