A long-awaited moment has finally arrived: the return of high school football for another glorious season.

From the players to the coaches, to the band to the cheerleaders, to the fans, to anyone else who is involved – Friday nights are about to get lit.

Do the kids still say that?

Whether you’re planning to go to a game or two or 10, chances are good you will be impacted in some way by those “Friday night lights.”

We know the teams and all the other student programs involved at our local schools would love to have a great crowd cheering them on as they take the field each Friday night this season. These students and their adult leaders put so much work into what they do. We know countless hours have been spent preparing for the next 10 weeks, characterized by early mornings, late nights, long days innumerable – in many cases, all summer long, not counting the years of participation that have led up to this one, for the more seasoned participants. It takes a nearly all-consuming passion to put together what we see for only a couple hours a week on Friday nights.

We at the Franklin County Times extend our very best wishes to all. We want to commend these students, as well as their coaches and instructors, for their school spirit and dedication to their sport. Let’s show them how proud we are of their hard work and good attitudes. We hope you’ll join us in cheering them on.

Through it all, these students are learning priceless lessons about the value of hard work, perseverance, teamwork, sportsmanship and more. Learning these life skills will serve them far beyond the high school gridiron.

Please show your support by coming out to help cheer them to victory – and let them know how proud you are regardless of that final figure on the scoreboard at the end of the night.

Happy football season!