Aug 15, 2009
Wake Forest-Rolesville's Brandon Reynolds (82) and Darren Kirby (2) celebrate after making a defensive stop against Jack Britt during an NCHSAA regional final in Fayetteville, N.C., on December 5, 2008. Jack Britt won 27-16. (Photo by Grant Halverson)
The weather is hot. The workouts are seemingly endless. The coaches' voices get noticeably louder with each set of shouted instructions. The musty smell of the weight room is far more familiar than the lovely aroma of Mom's home cooking.
It's the end of summer, and the focus has turned to football. The preparations are gruesome, difficult and often downright miserable. Is it worth all of the aches and pains, the hours dedicated to practice and conditioning, the time away from the pool or the summer hangout spot? Absolutely it is. It's football season, and it's been a long time coming.
The months of February through July are great for a lot of reasons. You've got Valentine's Day, March Madness, April Fool's, Memorial Day, Father's Day and Independence Day. They're all fun, right? But, they're also all spent without football. Six long months without a crucial 3rd-down play, a courageous 4th-and-1, a quarterback sack, or even a simple out-route. The football drought finally, mercifully, comes to an end each August.
August is the time to get yourself into pigskin mode. The long days of lifting and training and running wind-sprints are all part of the necessary work on the front end. The desired result on the back end? Braggin' rights, of course.
If you play high school football, you most likely play for a multitude of reasons. For the love of the game, for the camaraderie of the team, for the attention of the co-eds - all very good reasons indeed. But, every single football player wants one very specific thing every time he laces up the cleats and dons the pads and helmet on Friday night. That one thing is braggin' rights.
There's no paycheck in high school sports, just braggin' rights. The pro's have their signing bonuses and franchise tags, but in the world of amateur athletics, the right to pound your chest is so much sweeter than anything that Drew Rosenhaus can get you. That's why some of us prefer a Friday night under the lights to a Sunday afternoon at the arena. It's so much more fun to watch, and to play, when there's not a contract on the line.
Braggin' rights is a powerful thing. In fact, it's hard to find something more motivating to athletes. So, before the 2009 season begins, we'll allow those with braggin' rights from a season ago to strut their stuff one more time on this page. But remember, last year's victory earns you nothing when the calendar turns. And don't blow your own horn too loudly, because they might be able to see your head getting too big at your rival's practice field across town.
2008 Pigskin Braggin' Rights:
CAP 7 Champs Wake Forest-Rolesville
Greater Neuse Champs Southeast Raleigh
Tri-8 Champs Fuquay-Varina
PAC 6 Co-Champs Southern Durham, Hillside & Chapel Hill
This column originaly appeared in VYPE High School Sports Magazine's Bleacher Banter.
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