Just behind the football field’s end zone, a group of guys are hangin’ and talkin’ about the glory days. Some are parents of current high school players. Some are past Friday night heroes, having played on this very gridiron. Some are both.

In the stands, a band parent anxiously awaits the familiar sounds of drums and feet marching in unison. The drum major’s mother already has the cell phone out, ready to start the video.

The cheerleaders are huddled at the 10-yard line, ready to form the the tunnel for the players to run through, breaking down the paper banner that took an hour to make just 24 hours earlier. One of the cheerleaders’ little sister stands against the stadium’s first row wall, yearning to be on the field and dreaming about some day, when she gets to wear the same uniform.

Those scenes play out all across America, especially in the great, small communities like the one in which we live.

If you love football, like so many of us do, this is your week.

The NFL has started preseason games, college teams are practicing and high school teams play “for real” on Friday. Technically, the season starts on Thursday, with the televised showdown between arch-rivals A.L. Brown and Concord in Kannapolis.

Ah … high school football.

It this world of blinding, high-speed change, high school football is a constant that gives us a good feeling, like the Fourth of July or the Christmas parade on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. It’s American Legion baseball or the nostalgic Dairy Queen on West Innes Street. It’s something that we can count on being there for our enjoyment, year after year.

The experience is extra special on opening night, if the weather cooperates and it’s not too hot and thunderstorms don’t interfere.

The visuals of the familiar-colored uniforms and green grass, the sounds of bands warming up and then blasting into song and cheerleaders’ voices echoing throughout the stadium, all give us a warm and fuzzy feeling. The smells of popcorn and other tasty delights surround you as well. There’s nothing else quite like being there for that first game of the season.

As the cover story of this football edition relates, these scenes have been played over and over for 100 years. Think about that … a century of football! How many generations of families and friends have been brought together at high school football games? The evolution of it all is really mind-boggling.

Whether you were in the band in 1947 or a cheerleader in 1965 or maybe a second-string lineman in 2012, you have something in common, along with those who watched you participate. There have been many heroes on Friday nights throughout the years and not all of them earned college scholarships or went on to play pro ball.

All of the participants during the last 100 years simply carried on a tradition that is an important staple in growing up, but also for the rest of their lives.  Even for those who have moved away and dismissed the high school days, I venture to say if they do walk into the old stadium on a Friday night in the late summer or early fall … they too will be on the receiving end of that warm and fuzzy feeling.

Good luck to all and congratulations for carrying on the tradition of magical Friday nights. As former Post sports editor Ronnie Gallagher used to say, “Go see a game … and be nice!”