Sounds, smells of football return

Original story HERE!

Sounds, smells of football return

By Jared Fields
Saturday, August 29, 2009


AHS vs Ft. Worth Dunbar Football game on Aug. 29, 2009, at Shotwell Stadium


Abilene High Herschel Sims (23) races past Ft. Worth Dunbar defenders for a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown on the opening kickoff during the Eagles' 56-13 win Saturday afternoon, Aug. 29, 2009, at Shotwell Stadium.



Merkel defensive back Dallas Lyon (86) upends Jim Ned wide receiver Joey Lavallee (5) during the first quarter of Saturday's game at Shotwell Stadium in Abilene.

There’s something in the West Texas air.

It’s the smell of concession stand cheese and chili. The sounds of high school bands warming up in the stadium stands. The voices of cheerleaders and drill teams making final preparations.

It’s kickoff time, and football fills the air.

Football returned to Abilene this weekend — three straight days of football.

The season literally blew in Thursday minutes before Abilene Christian University’s game at Shotwell Stadium. A storm with high winds and heavy rain delayed the start of the game as fans scrambled for shelter.

But after the storm passed, the Wildcats gave Abilene its first game and win of the season, a 19-14 win against Northwest Missouri State.

The Cooper Cougars and Wylie Bulldogs won home games by large margins under the first Friday night lights of the season.

Cooper beat the O.D. Wyatt Chaparrals 56-7 Friday night at Shotwell Stadium, and Wylie opened its new stadium with a 37-14 victory against Vernon.

And to keep the winning streak intact for the first weekend, Abilene High beat Fort Worth Dunbar 56-13 Saturday afternoon.

Larry Thomson watched about every one of Abilene High’s games last year. This year he said he is looking forward to the games and seeing his granddaughter play in the band.

“I’m just enjoying the game,” Thompson said at the Abilene High game. “We just love football.”

Although Shirley Brokaw’s children no longer attend school, she and her husband still come to the games each year. And she looks forward to the season’s start. Football Fridays are a sort of date night for Brokaw.

“Part of football season is to watch the boys as they progress and how the team is developing each year,” she said. “It’s a common interest in everybody; something I can share with my husband.”

Brokaw said high school football games are just as American as apple pie and baseball.

“It makes you fell like everything is right in the world,” said Brokaw at the Eagles’ game Saturday. “It’s good to enjoy that for a couple of hours.”