Football season is here, and this fall sport is always highly anticipated by ardent fans.
Last week started out with a bang for our local teams, as the Tattnall County High School (TCHS) Warriors bested the Claxton Tigers, 48-6, despite a rain delay of a couple of hours on Friday, August 19, 2022. The Pinewood Christian Academy (PCA) Patriots, in their season opener on Thursday, August 18, toppled the Robert Toombs Christian Academy Crusaders by a score of 56-8. What a fantastic way to begin the football season for both teams.
PCA also boasts a beautiful new stadium that opened with their football season last week.
Thankfully, COVID is almost completely behind us, but spotty cases keep emerging among us. What a bright spot in our lives that we can meet in person once again, cheer on our teams in the stands, and not be concerned with wearing a mask.
Whether you are a die-hard fan or just a casual spectator, it is difficult not to get excited about football season. For many, football season is their favorite time of the year, and many fans do not want to miss a play of their favorite team on the field.
For our high school and college students, participation in sports is an education in itself. While some students shine academically in the classroom, others show their talents in athletics on the field or courts. Most all of us want to feel that we excel in something, and that accomplishment gives us a “really good at something” feeling. That sense of achievement helps to soothe our shortcomings in other areas, some of which no matter how diligent we are in pursuing, their success, that sense of accomplishment, eludes us.
Sports teach teamwork, perseverance, responsibility, new connections to fellow players, respect for a coach’s authority and expertise, and increases one’s confidence while reducing stress and improving mental health. Other benefits for our student athletes include accountability, dedication to a goal, and leadership skills. Many students will do better academically simply because they have to do so to stay on the team. Sports teaches problem-solving skills while boosting self-esteem.
Many of us in the stands today watching our children and grandchildren are reminded of our own high school days and the excitement that Friday night football brought to our lives, whether we were a football player, cheerleader, or enthusiastic fan. We can still recall momentous games, especially tough rivalry games that were decided in the last few seconds on the clock.
May our student athletes of today find that same sense of exhilaration and excitement this football season as fans root for our teams on their respective football fields. These are memorable times, students, cherish them!
