Want to see the most talented football players in the world?
Tune into Fox or CBS Sunday afternoon.
Want to see talented collegiate athletes with something to prove?
Tune into ABC Saturday afternoon.
If football in its purest form is desired, however, then check out Friday night where the place to be is under the lights.
With Oregon’s game against Utah moved up to Friday, thoughts of high school football are stirring in my mind. Even though it has been four years since I was a skinny signal caller for Portland’s Marshall High School, the memories haven’t vanished.
Don’t get me wrong: Pro and college football games are very entertaining. Watching the most talented athletes in the world perform at the sport I love is nothing short of amazing.
But there’s something different about high school football.
There are no million-dollar cry babies, no contract disputes, no discount shopping scandals and no recruiting violations — just blood, sweat and tears coming from players who want nothing more than a chance to put on a helmet and shoulder pads and then run out onto the field. When attending a game, wasting time and money on athletes who don’t give maximum effort is never a worry.
Playing or just being around football on the high school level can teach lessons about life. Many of the guys I grew up with came from low-income families and had plenty of other things to worry about. With hundreds of possible distractions surrounding them, they still found ways to get their school work done and be out on the practice field. It makes one wonder why a guy making $5 million can’t wake up in time for a team meeting.
It also teaches the importance of teamwork at a time in a life when learning to mesh with others under pressure is important. In an era when certain professionals are concerned with statistics rather than winning, high school football remains a game with integrity where players are taught that winning overshadows personal accolades. Try getting Randy Moss to block during a run in the fourth quarter if he hasn’t caught a pass; that probably wouldn’t succeed.
Even though the talent level is lower, high schoolers can still put a quality product on the field. I attended a state semi-final game in Maryland two years ago, and it was the greatest football game I’ve ever seen. Urbana — a school full of big farm boys — defeated national power Seneca Valley 29-23 in triple overtime. The game featured everything from a sophomore kicker drilling a 51-yard field goal to a drive-saving conversion on fourth-and-37 with less than two minutes remaining.
The city of Eugene was home to its own brand of entertaining prep football last year. Sheldon High School had one of the most explosive offenses in the country. Led by quarterback Alex Brink — now a freshman at Washington State — the Fighting Irish won the Oregon Class 4A State Championship and were ranked in the top 25 nationally.
Entering Friday, the Irish are once again one of the state’s elite as they hold the No. 3 ranking in the Associated Press poll. Willamette High School, another Eugene power, is sixth.
The Wolverines have been dominant, outscoring opponents 212-28 on their way to a 5-0 record.
I’m not saying pro and college football should be put on the back burner and the focus should switch to high school. Think of high school football as a “soul cleansing” experience if hearing about scandals and holdouts grows old. If nothing else, high school football presents the chance to see that there are still athletes who play the game the way it’s supposed to be played.
So if the Ducks jump out to a huge lead Friday, there’s no cable TV in the house or a change of pace is needed, check out a local high school football game.
At least there won’t be any
commercials.