Published: June 18, 2008 12:24 pm         

In my opinion: Summer is the time for heat and reflection

Summer is a time for heat and reflection, as well as thoughts about the future.

With the youth baseball season winding down, my thoughts turn to the upcoming football season.

Since I have to do stories on all 10 high schools in the area, I decided to start a little early. That way I will stop giving myself an ulcer, just worrying about the special football section.

I made my first two appointments with area coaches yesterday (Monday), so I am not so worried.

It’s going to be a good season, I think. There are going to be a lot of firsts this year.

Coach Ricky Lock will try to right the Gainesville Leopards and put them back in the winning ways.

I think we all got spoiled the last few years and thought that the 14-1 or 15-0 seasons were just going to keep on coming.

We, including myself, thought that the “Go Red” tradition was just going to carry the team along.

But all high school teams’ talent base goes in cycles. Southlake Carroll, as well as Celina, are going to go through some down times. It is just a question of when.

The best high school team I have ever seen, the Daingerfield Tigers, had a long winning streak through the 1980s. They sent a lot of players to Division I schools on football scholarships.

However, in the last few years, they have been down a bit. But, a bit to the rabid Tiger fans is a lot. During the prime Tigers’ seasons, 9-1 was not acceptable.

According to several people in Gainesville, who know the Leopards very well, the class with the most talent right now is the soon to be sophomore class.

It may take a year or so, but I look for the Leopards to be back on their winning ways. Just give them time.

Why is that game so early?

You can tell that the University Interscholastic League has re-aligned the districts by simply looking at the Sept. 5 game against Decatur.

When I first saw the schedule I thought “why in the world are they playing a district game so early?” Then I realized that the “Fightin’ Eagles” were not in the Leopards’ district this year.

Football schedule is fluid in Saint Jo

Talk about changes, the Saint Jo Panthers venture into uncharted territory when they open the 2008 season.

Six-man football is upon us! I really wish I could see their first game, but with the Leopards playing the same night, it won’t be possible.



However, Gainesville has an open date on Oct. 3. That means I can see the Panthers, if they have a game that night.

Right now, the Panthers’ schedule is anything but set. According to Saint Jo school officials, the Panthers’ district is up from two teams to three. Saint Jo, Greenville Phoenix Charter and Irving Universal Academy make up the Division I, District 11 at this point.

This means that the Panthers will have to play seven non-district games. That is a lot to schedule.

It won’t be long until all the area teams hit the field for two-a-days, so it is nice to think about all the things that can happen during the upcoming season.