Friday Night Lights in St. John's County

There is something uniquely American about how communities from one end of the country to the other come together on Friday nights to watch their local team take the field.   

Creekside High School, Friday, August 29th, 2008

While Sundays are for NFL draft picks holding out for big money and Saturdays are for college players who leave school early and make the big time, Friday night is reserved for the local kid down the block who might take the field as running back, trombone player or cheerleader and for everyone else who sits in the stands and cheers for a victory.  On Friday night, everyone is important and they all do their individual part in a scene repeated across the country in small towns, large cities and everywhere in between.  While some schools may have the occasional NCAA Division 1 prospect, this isn't what Friday night is about.  Friday night is about having fun, seeing your friends and getting a little crazy while you still have an entire weekend to recover.

Fans at Creekside vs. Mount Dora on August 29th, 2008 

And though I am well beyond my school days, it's not to hard to recall how Friday night was really about the excitement of the unknown and the promise of the possible.   Are we going to win the big game?  Is Dad going to let me use the car?  Will I see that cute girl I've been eying in math class this weekend and is she really going out with him?  (my apologies to Joe Jackson)   This was all part of the promise of Friday night and this is why when it comes to sports, at least for me, there is nothing quite like the spirit of those Friday night lights.

More photos of this game here:

 http://photos.mystjohnssun.com/mycapture/folder.asp?event=583861